SALT LAKE CITY —There could have been a middle ground for the Miami Heat as the Feb. 5 NBA trading deadline approaches.

And that would have made the decision far easier for a team that insists it never quits on the playoff race … even when it often means, seemingly as in this moment, another play-in chase.

With a healthy and available Tyler Herro, the Heat front office could have split the maybe when it came time to decide whether to sell or stand pat on the personnel front at the deadline.

With Herro ambulatory, there was the easier-to-digest possibility of moving Norman Powell for draft capital and then turning to the scoring of Herro to compensate.

But then the ribs followed the ankle and the toe for Herro, at this point little certainty of when he again will stand as a reliable option.

With Herro reliably in the Heat lineup and Powell sent out in a trade, a team that has spent the bulk of the season in play-in orbit … still would be a team in play-in orbit.

But without any sense of what Herro will be this season, a move of Powell would be capitulation.

And the Heat don’t capitulate (with the exception of 2008, when there essentially were no last men standing by midseason on the way to 15-67).

For years, Herro has been an X-factor for the Heat, perhaps the ultimate X-factor, considering you knew what you were going to get from Jimmy Butler in the playoffs, knew what you were going to get from Bam Adebayo on defense and now know what you’re going to get from Powell with his scoring.

Now, if not for this great unknown of this latest rib injury, Herro could have stood as an X-factor again at the trade deadline, there to step in in case Powell is swapped out.

For weeks in this space, the thought — through no fault of their own — was to swap out Powell and Andrew Wiggins for draft capital, to either further fuel the youth pipeline or to amass and then package picks in a trade for a potential leading man (preferably a Greek leading man).

The thought from this perspective is by moving Wiggins, it would further clear the runway for Pelle Larsson, who continues to display an encouraging trajectory. In that regard, moving Wiggins should remain a  consideration.

With Powell, though, it’s different. Because with Herro out or limited, there is not another scorer on the roster capable of stepping into that void to at least keep the Heat competitive, as they insist, Adebayo’s recent breakout notwithstanding.

With his lack of outside shooting, Jaime Jaquez is not that player. With his lack of consistency, Nikola Jovic is not that player. With his lack of scoring creativity, Davion Mitchell is not that player. With his lack of experience, Kasparas Jakucionis is not that player.

Therefore, to move Powell without Herro being up to speed would be the Heat waving the white flag on White Hot Playoffs.

The Heat do not wave white flags when white playoff towels instead can oscillate at Kaseya Center, no matter any long odds (See: Playoffs, 2025, vs. Cleveland Cavaliers).

What the Heat need at the moment, or soon, very soon, as in a matter of days, is an effective, reliable, efficient Herro, a player hungry for an extension, Herro knowing that such a payoff would be an extension of his ability to score.

Powell has fueled the Heat to this stage of the season for a franchise that otherwise would have run out of gas due to the scoring inconsistency elsewhere on the roster.

But now is decision time, time to consider that draft capital that has fueled just about every major NBA trade in recent years.

Powell potentially could next provide that for the Heat if the right offer comes across Pat Riley’s desk.

But without a Powell replacement scorer, that scoreboard math and, therefore, the playoff math would become exponentially more complex.

In that regard, here, again, stand the Heat, in need of something from Tyler Herro.

For now …  and for the future.

IN THE LANE

BUTLER BAROMETER: The next step for Jimmy Butler after Tuesday night’s ACL tear against the Heat? To Golden State Warriors General Manager Mike Dunleavy Jr., it’s exactly what Butler has provided these past two seasons — a spark to something better. Last season, it was Butler helping to revitalize the Warriors after his midseason acquisition from the Heat. This season it had been a statistically efficient start to the season. “I’d say my vision for him is to give us a boost next year the same way he did last year when he arrived,” Dunleavy said. For Butler, the comeback will come at age 37. “I think he’s got a style of game that can play for a long time with his skill, his physicality, his mind for the game,” Dunleavy said. “So I guess my vision for him is him returning at some point between now and this time next year.” For now, it’s the Warriors attempting to put the best face on the situation. “At this stage last year, before we traded for Jimmy, it didn’t feel like we had enough to really compete,” coach Steve Kerr said of last February’s deal. “I think we have enough to compete.”

BACK AT IT: Having seemingly tired of solely working his gigs as a DJ, former Heat guard Josh Richardson has returned to action, signing to play in Spain’s top division in Zaragoza. Part of the multi-team trade that sent Butler from the Heat to the Warriors last February, Richardson was re-routed to the Utah Jazz and then subsequently immediately waived. His deal in Spain includes a 10-day tryout period. Richardson, 32, who appeared in eight NBA games last season, all with the Heat, joins a team that includes fellow American players Devin Robinson and DJ Stephens.

SOLDIERING ON: Sidelined for the Heat’s October visit to San Antonio following heel surgery, former Heat forward Kelly Olynyk is setting into a mentorship role with the Spurs similar to what former Heat center Kevin Love is doing with the Jazz. “Your role changes but it’s something I enjoy, helping others,” Olynyk, 34, told the Boston Globe. “I had a lot of guys help me along the way — the ins and outs of the league and how to be a professional, just what you’re trying to pass on to these kids and it’s awesome to be part of. You want to see them succeed. You want to be a part of a team and something great, and that’s where this team is going. To be able to have your voice heard is special.” Olynyk and the Spurs visit Kaseya Center March 23, if Olynyk isn’t dealt yet again by then.

AND ANOTHER ONE: When it comes to NBA valuations of players viewed as offense-only, from the Atlanta Hawks’ pennies-on-the-dollar trade of Trae Young to the seeming lack of outside interest in Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant to speculation about the value of the Heat’s Tyler Herro, add Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine to that list. Says who? Said Kings coach Doug Christie after Tuesday night’s loss to the Heat. After LaVine went 15:29 and scored 12 points in the first half, he played only 7:45, with six points in the second half. That from a player who scored 42 in the teams’ previous meeting. “We’re trying to find a rhythm and find a group that is stopping people at the same time,” Christie said of essentially pulling the plug on LaVine. “We didn’t have a problem scoring tonight, we need to stop somebody.” Said LaVine in his postgame media session, “You guys can say all you want to about effort. We play as hard as we can. We’re in here exhausted, so I don’t know.”

THE REMATCH(ES): And so it begins on Thursday night, the first of the three consecutive games between the Chicago Bulls and Heat, the first at the United Center, the next two at Kaseya Center, the result of the Jan. 8 game postponed in Chicago due to condensation on the court. In retrospect, the right move, Bulls coach Billy Donovan said, even with the unfortunate scheduling outcome. “It would have been too unsafe for those guys to play,” Donovan said. “I think the decision that was made was the right one, but you’re obviously going to pay somewhere in the schedule with that. We’re going to play them three times in a short period of time. I really don’t remember ever doing that much unless it’s been a playoff series.” Had the teams met on the originally scheduled date, Josh Giddey would have been out with a hamstring strain. Now he’s back. “Since the All-Star break last year, he’s played at a really incredible level,” Donovan said.

NUMBER

15. Heat players who received player votes in All-Star balloting for Eastern Conference starters. The only Heat players who did not receive at least one vote from a fellow NBA player was rookie guard Kasparas Jakucionis and guard Terry Rozier, who is on NBA leave amid the FBI gambling probe. Receiving single votes were two-way players Vlad Goldin, Myron Gardner and Jahmir Young, as well as Keshad Johnson, Simone Fontecchio and Pelle Larsson. Dru Smith received two votes. Again, these were votes from fellow players to be All-Star Game starters, of which the Heat does not have one. The only media vote for a Heat player in that portion of the balloting for starters was for Norman Powell, who received one.