There will be many eyes on the Miami Heat heading into the offseason, and the last thing they need is indecision. There are tough personnel moves that the Heat needs to make without second-guessing. Their ability to execute on each of these fronts could end up being a big reason for their success or failure this summer.
As the offseason quickly approaches, the Heat needs to be prepared to move on from a few players that simply don't fit the direction where this franchise is headed next.
More specifically, Miami needs to be ready to kick Nikola Jovic, Tyler Herro, Dru Smith, and Norman Powell to the curb and not think twice about it. For very different reasons, each of these players has played out their tenure with the Heat.
This is a tough one. But while Dru Smith works hard and probably does everything Erik Spoelstra asks of him, Miami needs to move on for one very important reason - he often takes minutes away from some of the young players who need them more.
If the Heat wants to develop Kasparas Jakucionis and Pelle Larsson, it's probably best that Smith isn't around to steal minutes from them here and there. And because of Spoelstra's loyalty to Smith, it happened way too much this past season.
For as good a first half of the season as Norman Powell had, which ultimately catapulted him to his first All-Star appearance, his struggles down the stretch should raise major red flags for the Heat moving forward.
Especially when he was banged up, Powell turned into a one-way player who often did more harm than good for the Heat. Add in his odd fit next to Tyler Herro, and it may not be that profitable to keep Powell on the roster after his contract expires.
This team's future uncertainty makes it even more complicated to bring Powell back. He's an unrestricted free agent, and the Heat will almost certainly have to make a decision on his future before they even have a shot to trade for a superstar player.
In the end, the Heat would have to invest in Powell, hoping they can still pull off a trade for a superstar later in the summer. The honest truth is, I'm not sure that's an honest bet the Heat can make.
Because of that, the Heat are probably better off letting Powell walk in free agency. If that does end up happening, the Heat probably shouldn't lose much sleep because of it.
As much of a believer as I was of Nikola Jovic, one of the biggest mistakes of the Heat is that they fail to cut bait when it's clearly become necessary. After four years, the Heat have to know what they have or don't have with Jovic.
While they may not be 100 percent ready to make that admission, the proof is in the pudding. Or, in this case, the results. The honest truth is that Jovic regressed tremendously in a year that was supposed to be his breakout party. That's unacceptable.
The more you think about this entire situation, including the poorly timed contract extension for Jovic last season, the clearer it gets that he just might not be a clean fit in Spoelstra's system. And if that is indeed the case, it's probably best to move on now.
Why try to force something that clearly isn't working? That's why it makes the most sense for the Heat to try to lump Jovic's contract in a bigger deal this summer. If they're ever so lucky to pull it off, there should be absolutely no hesitation from the Heat.
The will they or won't they over the past few years has to be exhausting at this point. So much so that it's probably in the best interest of both Tyler Herro and the Heat to finally move on from each other.
In a vacuum, Herro is still a very good player. He just isn't as valuable to the Heat without a clear-cut No. 1 option on the roster. Herro does his best work as a third or fourth option on a team. The Heat just don't have much use for that right now.
And, theoretically speaking, the only realistic path the Heat have to finding their next superstar involves trading Herro. It's hard to envision how the Heat can have one without the other. Because of that, it's probably best for the Heat to pull the trigger and not look back.
Not to mention that Herro is very limited as a one-way player, may not fit how Spoelstra wants the Heat to run its offense moving forward, and the fact that Herro is in line for a huge contract extension that the Heat simply can't pay.
It's finally time to trade Herro. And, this time around, it's hard to envision the fan base being that opposed to it.
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