Q: Ira, how much do you believe the Finals will impact moves made by the Heat this summer? Will Indiana be seen as the team to beat if it wins? – Davis.
A: I doubt that will be the perception, similar to few teams targeting the Heat as the team to beat after the Heat made it to the 2023 NBA Finals. When there is a definitive front-runner, you construct with an eye toward taking down said team, as the Knicks did in bolstering their perimeter defense to deal with the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. But with the Pacers, you are talking about a team that finished in fourth place this past season, just two games ahead of fifth. I doubt, whether the Pacers win the Finals or not, that East teams suddenly build solely with a focus on beating the Pacers. Without a decisive favorite in the East in light of the Achilles injury to Tatum, it likely would go back to simply building the best roster possible. As it is, the Heat are playing in catch-up mode to most of the East. Such is the reality of closing at 37-45 and being blown out in the first round. At the moment, the Heat’s roster focus has to be on the Heat.
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Q: Does being in the East help us with getting Kevin Durant? Maybe the Suns don’t want KD in the West. Maybe KD wants the best chance to win and the East gives him that chance. It seems like the path would be easier in the next year being in the East. – Kristopher, Oceanside, Calif.
A: That long has been one of the angles in attempting to woo players East, that the competition hardly is as stiff. And there certainly is something to be said for that. But it’s not as if Kevin Durant would be joining an elite contender with a move to the Heat, but rather a team that closed 37-45, just one game better than his Suns last season. And the Suns hardly are in a position to take less for Durant simply to move him to the opposite conference. They need the best package available. Period. Yes, the Suns will work with Durant, but likely only to a degree. If the Timberwolves or Rockets or Spurs offer more, than West it will be.
Q: When will we know about Davion Mitchell? – Ed.
A: It could be sooner or it could be later. The Heat’s negotiating window with Davion Mitchell is allowed to open the day after the close of the NBA Finals. With that series now assured of going at least six games, that means no earlier than June 20, as possibly as late as June 23. Then there is the June 29 deadline for the Heat to extend an $8.7 million qualifying offer and make Davion a restricted free agent, with the right to therefore match outside offers. And then there is the 6 p.m. June 30 actual start of free-agency negotiations, followed by the July 6 start of the free-agency signing period.