Biggest offseason questions for the Lakers and Heat



[ad_1]

At this point, it’s been said a thousand times: this was not how anyone expected LeBron James and the Miami Heat to meet again. They met in Orlando, confined to a bubble full of bad snacks and hotel shenanigans and adults dressed up as cartoon characters. No crowds. There are no post-game interviews within 6 feet. Alex Caruso in the starting lineup! The contrast between the two sides made the already strange Endings even weirder. The Lakers are a veteran product clearly defined by two mega-superstars, while the Heat are harder to label. It looked like Miami threw its own surprise playoff party, got there early, then kicked everyone else out.

For all their differences, the Heat and Lakers now face very similar dilemmas. How proactive should they be this offseason? What can they find in an uninspiring free agency market? These are the most important questions for each team in the final:

For more questions about eliminated teams, read my article on the Nuggets and Celtics. here. And read Dan Devine on the Clippers, Bucks, Raptors and Rockets hereand the Pacers, Mavericks, Blazers and Nets here.

Los angeles lakers

Record: 52-19 (first in Western Conference, beat Portland 4-1, beat Houston 4-1, beat Denver 4-1, beat Miami 4-2)

2020 NBA draft pick: 28

Pending free agents: Dion Waiters, Markieff Morris, Jared Dudley, Dwight Howard, JR Smith (no restrictions); Anthony Davis, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley, JaVale McGee (player option); Kostas Antetokounmpo (restricted)

can run it again?

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, a slow-developing lottery pick greeted by Pistons fans on draft night with the success of a long list of rare but essential LeBron teammates crying Whose? “And” LMFAOOOOO WHAT. “He’s a player often blatantly referred to in Detroit as” Kids Can’t Play, “after four seasons of ups and downs. And now he’s the 2020 NBA champion. KCP was the third best Laker in the Finals behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis – the bottom two are the top five players; KCP is a guy who was 0-for-9 in the first game of the playoffs. His success presented overwhelming internal conflict. for me (and surely for the entire Detroit metro area). All I’ve known is that Pistons and Lakers fans complain about Pope. Suddenly, he’s the least of a starting team’s worries. That’s right. life playing alongside LeBron.

AD and LeBron combined to score more points in the playoffs (1,162) than the team’s eight. next highest scores (1,150). It is not a sustainable model. While Davis, 27, is just beginning to maximize his talents, LeBron will turn 36 next season. The only opponent I’d rule him out against is Father Time, whom LeBron currently has in a chokehold. He passed Derek Fisher in Game 6 in the most postseason games ever played in NBA history; then, after said game, the MVP of the Finals won. The man has not slowed down but has changed his style of play; if you miss a half step, that didn’t stop LeBron from looking more animated in Game 6 than a franchise known for its conditioning. Though with each passing year, it will become harder for him to absorb the shortcomings of a team whose default Big Three includes someone like Tristan Thompson or, yes, KCP. It feels pretty Baylessian to speculate about his age just days after LeBron has shown he’s not relevant yet, but here’s the thing about that choke: In the end, Time isn’t the one to come out.

Asking if this Lakers team can back down reveals the real problem: Can they afford to wait and see? The trade that brought Davis to Los Angeles was certainly worth it. They won a title, the 17th from the Lakers, the fourth from LeBron and the first from AD, and hanging that banner is the main goal of the game. But the deal shipped the carton of fresh eggs from Los Angeles to New Orleans. Now, the only players under the age of 26 left in the rotation on the Lakers roster are Kyle Kuzma, Alex Caruso and Talen Horton-Tucker. The franchise would be deceptively optimistic if it counted on its development to improve the team instead of understanding the need to bring in new talent.

The problem, as with any super team, is money. General manager Rob Pelinka achieved a low-grade Moneyball sequel with the 2019-20 roster. Howard’s passable moments and Playoff Rondo streaks boosted the Lakers more than most could have imagined. (Pelinka’s seventh-place Executive of the Year was downright insulting, even for a regular-season award.) But the problem with cheap contracts is that their expiration doesn’t contribute much to the salary cap space. All of the Lakers players who will become unrestricted free agents this offseason were signed to a bare minimum, with the exception of Morris, who signed with a disabled player exception of $ 1.75 million. Now that those players also have a title under their belt, they might be looking for a bigger payday than the two exceptions LA can use.

Cautiously persisting this offseason and waiting until 2021 could be the team’s best and only option. Although the free agency class of 2020 isn’t as heavy as it was last summer, the Lakers still can’t afford the best options. (Fred VanVleet, for example). Out of the blue last week, my colleague Jonathan Tjarks messaged me about a profile on Jrue Holiday that I wrote before the 2019-20 season, simply because it mentioned Holiday saying that he and Davis were still friends. . Maybe a reunion could happen in 2021, when Holiday can reach free agency, but there’s no chance the organization will have enough hot pieces to trade for Holiday now. Finding the intersection between that kind of advance planning and how long LeBron can last is like cross-examining a watch. Which is more reliable, LeBron James or the inevitability of aging? The Lakers, even fresh off a title, can’t pretend not to know the answer.

Miami Heat

Record: 44-29 (fifth in Eastern Conference, beat Indiana 4-0, beat Milwaukee 4-1, beat Boston 4-2, lost to Lakers 2-4)

2020 NBA draft pick: twenty

Pending free agents: Derrick Jones Jr., Solomon Hill, Jae Crowder, Goran Dragic, Meyers Leonard, Udonis Haslem (no restrictions); Kelly Olynyk (player option); Gabe Vincent, Kyle Alexander (restricted)

Should run it again?

The polarity between the Pelinka and Pat Riley situations couldn’t be stronger. The team narrative as well. One is brave; the other serious. One is built, like Yahoo’s Seerat Sohi tweeted; the other, bought. In 2018, Riley was obsessed with the word “organic.” He asked fans, who were used to his flashy headline-dominating trades, to be patient. “Free agency and [cap] the space can be over the top, ”Riley said. “You can have fatigue in the room. Since 2010, we have been a team that has always been chasing someone bigger and better. “

Last year, the persecution momentarily resumed. The signing and trade for Jimmy Butler led the Heat to an appearance in the 2020 Finals, their first since 2014. Yet even as far back as the playoffs, Miami was still chasing someone better. Not only did Miami have to return to the Finals without LeBron, then they had to face him once they got there. You can never really leave James. Numerous stories of humble origins — Erik Spoelstra starting as a video coordinator or Duncan Robinson undrafted — deny the collision of two institutions, the King and the Lakers.

It wasn’t his year then. Oh good. Riley’s good-natured timeless is sure to continue to build brick by brick, Butler by Butler, toward another championship. And unlike their Finals counterparts, the Heat have plenty of young talent to improve on them. organically. There is no guarantee this group will hit twice immediately with another trip to the Finals. The Celtics were close. Toronto is never far from a perfect fit. If Milwaukee can keep Giannis Antetokounmpo, then, well, they have Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The lack of aggression could cost the Heat. Goran Dragic’s surprising return to playoff form could have been short-lived. You could sign elsewhere. Even if he stays, he might be the best-served Dragic coming off the bench again. Getting paid for someone like Holiday (the parallels!) Means making a deal with the league’s Juventas, also known as Pelicans general manager David Griffin. New Orleans is in the market for young talent; Miami has it. Trading Tyler Herro and a movable deal like Andre Iguodala’s ($ 15 million per year through 2022) or Kelly Olynyk’s ($ 12.2 million, if he chooses to participate) could bring the Heat to a more prepared player, if they can justify it. .

I’m not sure Riley wants to chase more stars or super teams, or if this latest finale has rejuvenated his thirst for big names and dramatic trades. The patience he asked of Heat fans paid off, but Riley himself doesn’t strike me as a particularly patient man. His last few years of mild inactivity are the exception in his career as a coach and team president, not the rule. Tiredness spoke, not the executive. Suddenly, Miami is easy to sell again. There are few “stars” worth chasing this offseason, but still! The weather has cleared, a lane on the runway is open, and the starting gun is aimed at the sky.



[ad_2]