ASK IRA: Do Heat believe contention remains possible or is it typical NBA summer speak?
Q: Ira, we understand that the summer is when every team believes it is capable of something special. Even the worst teams can talk playoffs. But how can the Heat bring back the same team and expect different results? – Pete.
A: Because when it comes to the playoffs, they do not believe it is the same team. In last season’s playoffs, the Heat did not have Jimmy Butler or Terry Rozier, who has yet to play a single postseason game for the team. Granted, not sure the roster would have mattered against the Celtics. But if Jimmy wasn’t hurt against the 76ers in the first play-in game or if Terry not only didn’t miss both of the play-in games, but also was ambulatory during the critical late-season loss in Indiana, the Heat’s playoff path could have been far different. For example, say the Heat got the 76ers’ draw instead, and could have had New York and Indiana in the first two rounds, such a path with a healthy Jimmy and Terry could have produced a decidedly different result. There, of course, are no guarantees that would have been the case, either. But I think with this roster, the Heat felt they never got a playoff chance. Now they have to weigh whether they can get to a similar juncture with a healthy roster. And then, to your point, they also have to accept that New York and Philadelphia are significantly better than last season. All of that said, you could at least see why the Heat believe more is possible, even with a roster that is mostly the same. Overconfidence? We’re months from finding out.
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Q: Ira, it seems like many teams are having trouble already filling out their rosters around their star players. Do you think eventually the teams will realize they can’t offer as much to the stars in order to have a complete roster? Or will the stars always get paid and the rest of the players will have to accept less pay? It just seems much harder now to construct a complete team. I’m not sure who this is benefiting, but it sure isn’t the fans, who are frustrated that many of their teams have to fill in the squad with “lesser” talented players. – Rich, Plantation.
A: To me, it’s like much of the entertainment realm, that the leading men get most of the payroll and the supporting cast understand that they have to support while earning supporting wages. Again, don’t underestimate the reality that an NBA veteran with tenure still is able to earn $3.3 million as the minimum salary. Minimum. No one is going hungry. Now, to your point, are teams learning that the Big Three model may have to give way to a Big Two? I believe the Nuggets have come to that reality with Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray and the Lakers have had to do the same with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. But you also have to be smart when designating that Big Two, because there is no turning back once you do. That is why the Heat stand at such a critical juncture with Jimmy Butler and his extension desires.
Q: Did Bam Adebayo do the same thing as Jalen Brunson when he signed a recent salary extension (take less than the max)? If not, could Bam Adebayo have done the same as Jalen Brunson? – Stuart, Miami.
A: Bam Adebayo did not do the same as Jalen Brunson. He received every last dollar he was allowed in his extension. Now, he could have waited in a bid to reach super-max criteria by eventually making All-NBA or winning Defensive Player of the Year, but that would have meant risking failing to receive as much as he did if injured in the interim. And unlike the Knicks’ roster situation, Adebayo taking less than the maximum would not have necessarily positioned the Heat to spend elsewhere. To that end, it also depends where a team is against the cap and the tax. The Heat will have plenty of time to sort out their books elsewhere before Bam’s extension kicks in for the 2026-27 season.
