Q: Do I have the right to be this upset at losing the first pick? I said it at the time, the Heat had better odds for the first pick then they did winning the championship. OK, fine, as a fan you can’t root for your team to lose, but why can the Heat/organization make moves that aren’t in the best interest of winning? Trading Jimmy Butler made the team worse, so why couldn’t we want a lottery pick, the first pick of the draft over a first-round sweep to the Cavs? This is just brutal. A chance at the first pick which could have been traded even for Giannis is insane for a four-game sweep. That is the worst trade in franchise history. No. 1 pick for a first-round sweep in the playoffs. – Kris, Oceanside, Calif.
A: Ah, hindsight. But, yes, an undeniable gut punch. But who knew? Plus what can’t be forgotten is that if the Heat were in the lottery this year, then their 2026 and ’28 picks would have gone out unconditionally, meaning the Thunder or Hornets could have moved up to No. 1 courtesy of the Heat pick. What has to stop is the willy-nilly dealing of draft picks, which proved quite reckless in the Terry Rozier trade, a debt that still has to be paid. If there was a saving grace, it is that Cooper Flagg is headed to the Western Conference, just as Victor Wembanyama headed West in that draft.
Q: Have you no shame? I know we’re not getting Giannis Antetokounmpo and you know we’re not (and Pat Riley knows he isn’t). But now the Heat will make it look like the only reason they didn’t do anything is because they were waiting. Ira, we’re better than this. – Sergio.
A: Whoa. If an A-list star is to potentially come onto the market, then you note it. And if an A-list star is to potentially come onto the market, then it is the responsibility of the other 29 teams to consider their options. Do the Heat have competitive assets to jump the line for Giannis Antetokounmpo, should he become available? It certainly does not appear so. But logic doesn’t always dominate the NBA trade market. Like when the Heat got Jimmy Butler in free agency in the absence of cap space. Like when the Mavericks traded Luka Doncic without fielding offers. Like when Portland wouldn’t even return Heat calls when Damian Lillard was being shopped. In fact, if the Heat did not meet to discuss Monday’s report, then shame on them. But, equally as significant, is that it can’t be cast as failure if lightning in a bottle does not repeat itself. In coaching, Erik Spoelstra, amid a highly successful career, constantly speaks of being open to anything and everything. Such should be the case on the personnel market, even if such cases turn out to be more flights of fantasy. It is better to have lusted and lost, then to have never lusted at all.
Q: I don’t see why we would trade Kel’el Ware and/or Nikola Jovic for an old player like Kevin Durant. They have finally accumulated some assets and trading for a few years of max contract doesn’t make sense to me. So Bam Adebayo would have to move back to center and the Heat go back to an undersized team in a league headed back to bigger lineups. And Jovic looks to me like he could develop into a solid starter, or maybe better. In the last few years, the assets that teams have been trading for top players doesn’t seem reasonable to me. Are they a legit title contender with Durant, Bam and Tyler Herro? No bench with only Andrew Wiggins to trade for help. I for one hope they keep the young guys and draft picks and do what they can in the market with the rest of their contracts. – Ron, Columbus, Ohio.
A: And this goes to the thoughts above regarding Giannis Antetokounmpo. It takes patience to build the right package for the right player. Utilizing such assets elsewhere limits the opportunity to construct an ultimate A-list package. The Heat learned such a lesson in tossing a future first-round pick into the wind for Terry Rozier.
Originally Published: May 13, 2025 at 5:21 AM EDT
