Assuming that Kevin Durant and Donovan Mitchell aren’t heading to the Miami Heat, what’s next for the franchise?
It quickly became apparent that the Miami Heat entered this offseason with one thing on their mind – making a splash acquisition and landing a superstar. And two possible candidates quickly emerged in Donovan Mitchell and Kevin Durant.
However, at least until now, the Heat hasn’t been able to put together a package that seems fit for either the Brooklyn Nets or Utah Jazz. And quite frankly, the other teams in pursuit of both players likely have the better trade assets.
In lamen’s terms, the Heat is unlikely to accomplish the plan that they set forth at the start of the offseason. And that leaves Miami in a difficult position heading into the remainder of the offseason and into training camp.
When – or if, for those that are still optimistic – the Heat misses out on both Durant and Mitchell, there isn’t much left to be done for the franchise right now. There aren’t any free agents that could fill the role of a missing starting power forward (thanks to PJ Tucker) and any of the realistic trades they could make (John Collins, Harrison Barnes, Myles Turner) would cost the Heat assets that they would in all likelihood want to keep for a pursuit of a future whale.
And doing smaller trades is kind of what got the Heat in this predicament. If Miami intends to land a superstar, they need all the possible assets to remain as assets – and that means acquiring a Barnes, Turner, or Collins could be off the table in the eyes of the front office.
Plus, the Heat can’t combat a Durant acquisition from the Boston Celtics, as an example, by trading Turner or Barnes, with all due respect to those players. That would be burning assets for a team that clearly isn’t good enough to beat the Celtics, Bucks, or perhaps even the Sixers.
Pat Riley has made his name by pursuing superstars as a member of the Heat organization. Ironically, the Heat may very well be one superstar away from winning another title.
There aren’t many options on the table for the Heat heading into next season. And the best of such may in fact be to wait it out.
As disappointing as it may seem, if Miami does miss out on Donovan Mitchell and Kevin Durant, there’s really nothing the Heat can do other than wait for another superstar to demand a trade. And that may mean taking a big step back this season in the Eastern Conference.