Q: Ira, I can’t agree with your take on moving Bam Adebayo. First, to get a haul of picks and young players you want to get picks that will probably turn into lottery picks and bad teams want to keep those players and good teams’ picks will end up being mid to low picks. Also, you are assuming that Heat’s remaining young players will develop into good playoff players. My guess is that in the next few years a number of them will not and will be gone. My hope is that in the next year or two the Heat can open up the roster and have the dollars to get one or two really good players to complement Bam and Tyler Herro and hopefully Kel’el Ware. – Joel, Fort Lauderdale.
A: First, the column was not advocating moving Bam Adebayo. It simply was defining the current roster situation and how his impending salaries could be lost money on a team in the lower half of the East pack. As for your take, it already is clear that what the Heat need is a leading man, not to complement Bam and Tyler Herro. Jimmy Butler was such a player. They need an alpha, someone for Bam and Tyler to complement, if Bam and Tyler are to remain.
Q: It seemed like Andrew Wiggins was hindered by injuries during his stay with the Heat that kept him from being his full self as a player. Maybe the Heat believe he can become a player similar to the one who scored the 42 points in a game instead of what he was against Cleveland in the playoffs when he didn’t seem 100% healthy. – Rich, Plantation.
A: Which is all well and good. But we not only did not hear Andrew Wiggins’ voice during the Heat’s season-ending media session, but we also did not hear anything from the coaching staff or management about their perspective on what might be next with Andrew. It is in that void of perspective that seemingly the only perspective available is that Andrew is viewed as much, if not more, as a trade component than as roster component.
Q: So is Miami actually taking a season off? Who do they honestly think they can get in the 2026 offseason that will transform the team into a title contender? The new CBA has changed championship team building. Landing a whale isn’t the answer anymore. – Chadwick, Lake Worth.
A: But it remains possible that a trade still can transform. Cleveland made its move with a trade (Donovan Mitchell). Oklahoma City made its move with a trade (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander). Indiana made its move with a trade (Pascal Siakam). And now Milwaukee is attempting to make its move with a trade (Myles Turner). So don’t get caught up with free agency as the sole revival mechanism. As it is, NBA exceptions now are available to be used in trades. So move beyond the 2026 free agent list, and instead consider those who might shake free. But, even then, there is no guarantee of such star availability. Still, there are worse places to stand than with cap space.