Q: Ira, how many times have the Heat said that they expect coming off bad years to turn it around, as they do now with Jaime Jaquez Jr.? So using that same logic, why give up on Terry Rozier? – Sang.
A: I don’t think it’s as much a matter of giving up on Terry Rozier as having extremely limited salary-cap options to otherwise fill out the roster. Because of the structure of Terry’s contract, there is enough wiggle room to otherwise add another power player by waiving Terry. The reality is Terry Rozier is a better player than he showed last season. He just is. But the way the Heat’s wing rotation is set, to play Terry would mean to definitively not play Kasparas Jakucionis and possibly not Dru Smith, who the team just guaranteed for the season. And even then, Terry would be slotted behind Tyler Herro, Davion Mitchell, Norman Powell and even Jaime Jaquez Jr. By comparison, there is a clear need, at least at the moment, for one more veteran big man, considering the unknowns with Vlad Goldin on his two-way contract. Now you certainly can make the case that all things considered Terry Rozier is a better player than, say, Precious Achiuwa. But for a team that insists on remaining in win-now mode, need matters.
Q: Ira, is Precious Achiuwa good enough? – Nate.
A: At the veteran minimum? I’d say yes, relative to the salary. And he certainly adds a rebounding component the Heat should embrace. Like many the Heat have brought aboard in such situations, Precious Achiuwa has shown directly against the Heat what he can look like at his best. My question is whether the Heat instead need something closer to a true center, with greater bulk, than a 6-8 player largely considered a power forward. But, hey, it’s not as if Dewayne Dedmon or Cody Zeller are coming through that door.
Q: You had to remind us about Tyrese Maxey? – Sam.
A: Look, the 2020 draft was like no other, mere weeks after the end of the pandemic-interrupted 2019-20 season and weeks before the start of the pandemic-delayed 2020-21 season. And while the Heat emphasize they draft for quality over need, that in many ways was a time of need, with not only Jae Crowder departing for the Phoenix Suns in free agency, but Tyler Herro coming off a breakout rookie playoff run. So Precious Achiuwa at power forward over a guard such as Tyrese Maxey made sense in a moment like no other in the Heat’s 38 NBA drafts. In a normal draft year, the approach could have been far different.