Q: Outmaneuvered again by Joe Cronin? – Sal.
A: No, just a player relishing a homecoming, regardless of who is the general manager. This was no more an embrace of Joe Cronin by Damian Lillard in his return to Portland than it was an embrace of Dan Gilbert by LeBron James in his return to Cleveland. In each case, the player wanted the city, accepting the executive/owner element as a devil in the details. The Heat attempted to make a legitimate offer to Joe Cronin when he turned off his phone in 2023 and shipped Lilliard, against his wishes, to Milwaukee. This time, there was no offer the Heat could have made to Lillard on the free-agent market that would have trumped being able to go home again. As with the initial play by the Heat for Lillard, this was not a case of coming up short.
Q: Interesting to see how the Heat posted Andrew Wiggins arena workout after Erik Spoelstra and the Heat said they weren’t trading him. What do you believe? – Neil.
A: First, neither Erik Spoelstra nor the Heat said any such thing. Instead, it was let out that the Heat’s intention is to move forward with Andrew Wiggins, that the team at the moment is not actively seeking to trade the forward. As for the social-media posts of Wiggins working out at Kaseya Center, that is typical of when most players stop by Kaseya Center, with the team only putting it out if the player acquiesces. As with anything from social media, read into it what you choose. Andrew Wiggins was back in South Florida, as Erik Spoelstra said was the case, and chose to do his workout at Kaseya Center. All indications are the Heat are planning to move forward. But this also is a league open to change.
Q: Was Bradley Beal or Norman Powell a better fit? It looks like if the Heat didn’t get Powell from the Clippers, Beal would have been a realistic target for the Heat. Curious if the Heat should have waited and got Beal instead, when more elite scoring is needed and Beal when great can provide that. – Kristopher, Oceanside, Calif.
A: For the Heat’s need and roster construction, I would go with Norman Powell at this stage over Bradley Beal, if only because Norman has shown a level of defensive deterrence over his career, particularly when with the Raptors. Plus, while Beal on the free-agent market would have come with a lower contract than Powell carries, it also would have been as a free-agent signing, therefore leaving the Heat nowhere to offload the salaries of Kyle Anderson and Kevin Love. So, in the end, I think the Heat with Powell and the Clippers with Beal both got what they wanted.