Q: Read your piece about “Rebuild 14.” The question I have is: Do you really think either Bam Adebayo or Tyler Herro are stars? I would say their comparisons are much more of the elite supporting-cast nature. I wish they were stars, but unfortunately we are only paying them like stars, which along with a few other of our contracts is the heart of the problem. – Jim, Charlotte.
A: But could they be more with the right pieces, sort of like the Hawks team that got to the East finals a few years back with Trae Young or even what the Pacers might be at the moment or were last season? Only briefly (since the Jimmy Butler trade) have we seen what Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo & others could truly be. Now, there’s no guarantee that augmenting those two is the answer, but if you wait a season on Tyler’s extension, you can get a better read.
Q: How I would approach the offseason: Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and a first for Ja Morant. Bam Adebayo, Duncan Robinson and two firsts for Giannis Antetokounmpo, Andrew Wiggins, Terry Rozier and a first for Kevin Durant and go from there. – Swann.
A: And all those first-round picks are coming from where? (And there likely is no way the Bucks are settling for that for Giannis.) That’s the issue at the moment for the Heat, the lack of draft capital to compete with the teams flush with draft assets. The Heat have a middling No. 20 pick this year, with their picks the next four years off the board due to the selection owed to the Hornets from the Terry Rozier trade and the rule prohibiting teams from being without first-round picks in consecutive future years. But, yes, Ja Morant, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant would be a wonderful rebuild starting point.
Q: Kevin Durant is one injury away from retirement. – P.M.
A: But isn’t that true of many players, regardless of age? The reality is that Kevin Durant prioritizes being on the court (75 games two seasons ago) and the only reason his game total was down to 62 this past season was because the Suns shut him down. I’d rather have an older player who wants to play than an almost-as-old player (you figure out who) who is indifferent about playing for months on end. With Durant it all comes down to pricepoint, which, apparently, might not be as prohibitive as initially thought.
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