The Miami Heat haven?t even lost the NBA Finals and already there is a call for change in South Beach.
Speaking on a conference call to promote ABC and ESPN?s coverage of the finals, Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic discussed the Heat and the need for change.
Regardless of the finals outcome, the Hall of Famer sees the Heat making some serious changes to their roster because ?every has caught up to them? now.
Not that I want to discredit Magic or anything, but is he serious? The part about everyone having caught up to them?
Last time I checked, the Heat have made it to three straight finals. Though they?ve been pushed to seven games in each of the last two Eastern Conference Finals matchups, I?d hardly say the rest of the league has caught up with them. Had that been true, they wouldn?t be where they are yet again. And they certainly wouldn?t have won 27 consecutive games during the regular season, the second most in league history.
In so many ways, the Heat stand alone. Even if they lose to the San Antonio Spurs, they?ll still be the standard to which almost every other contender is held. Now that?s power.
Magic is absolutely correct about the changes, though. One hundred percent.
Win or lose there are a number of key contributors who could wind up retiring. Shane Battier and Ray Allen each have a year left on their deals, but you never know where their heads will be at, especially if the Heat win. The same goes for the ever-hobbled Mike Miller, who has two years left on his pact and can barely walk.
More important than that, Miami?s Big Three could be broken up. Like seriously dismantled.
Chris Bosh, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are all eligible to become free agents after next season. Holding onto all of them will be expensive. Very costly. Still, I don?t see that as the actual problem. Micky Arison would shell out whatever it takes to keep LeBron in South Beach. Believe that.
The problem becomes, even after a championship, actually retaining LeBron. Miami would never trade him willingly. He?s the most important player the franchise has ever employed, and that includes Wade. The Heat will want to continue building around him beyond next year.
But will he want to stick around?
It?s a fair question. Wade has proved human during these playoffs and he?ll be 32 leading into the summer of 2014. There?s no telling what state he and his knee will be in one year from. Then there?s Bosh, who has continued to fade little by little as the postseason has progressed.
As close as the trio is, LeBron may not want to continue playing alongside the other two. Not when they?re his two-most important sidekicks and aren?t playing like superstars. The risk of him bolting for Los Angeles or back to Cleveland is then very real.
So the Heat will attempt to make a change in hopes of peaking LeBron?s interest further. We?re not just talking the pursuit of top-tier free agents at a steep discount either. That?s a given. More so, we?re referencing a potential trade.
Already there has been talk that the Heat will look to trade Bosh over the offseason. The Charlotte Bobcats have been named as potential suitors, their No. 2 pick being the primary return Miami would yield.
Pulling the trigger on such a deal or something similar could mean one of two things: 1) The Heat could shed Bosh?s salary, use the second overall pick to draft someone like a Nerlens Noel (should he fall that low) or Ben McLemore (Wade?s eventual replacement?) or someone else, then use the money they?d be saving in 2014 to chase another premier free agent.
Assuming LeBron and Wade re-signed, Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller exercised their player options and the team elected to hang onto Norris Cole, the Heat would still have $56.3 million on the books for 2014-15. They would then be depending on Wade to take a steep pay cut (which he should) and the ability to part ways with Miller and Haslem to free up enough space to chase big names.
Complicated? Yes. Possible? Also, yes?
Or 2) The Heat could attempt to orchestrate a three-team deal that lands Bosh with a high-lottery team, sends their first-round pick to another organization and then a significant and established talent gets sent to them, perhaps a legitimate center or something along those lines.
Yes, this is all conjecture at this point. But if there is a groundbreaking change made, it?s going to start with Bosh. Again, Miami isn?t trading LeBron nor will it deal Wade after all he?s done for the franchise.
Not to mention Wade would prove difficult to move at his age, with his health history and his salary. Teams are always thirsty for a big man, especially a versatile one like Bosh. He?ll be relatively easy to move.
Is a deal destined to be struck this summer? Are the Heat fated to breakup the very Big Three that has defined them these last three years.
We just don?t know. But it is possible. Maybe even likely. Which means Magic Johnson is right. God help us all.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn?t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com. Follow @danfavale on Twitter for his latest posts and all things NBA.
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