The Miami Heat will find out a ton about the direction of their franchise in the next few months.
If Miami gets off to a good start, expect Pat Riley to double down on the Bam Adebayo-Jimmy Butler core for another year or two.
If the Heat falter out of the gate, however, any number of organizational changes could ensue. We know Erik Spoelstra isn’t going anywhere, and it’s pretty much impossible to imagine Riley trading the 27-year-old Adebayo.
Butler is another story entirely. If the six-time All-Star forward doesn’t request a trade amid a Miami downturn, Riley will likely trade him all the same.
Once Butler’s gone, more dominoes would fall in Miami.
Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey believes that veteran big man Kevin Love could get traded in the above scenario, possibly to the Boston Celtics.
“This is a tricky exercise for the Boston Celtics,” Bailey said. “They don’t have any roster needs. They just won the title. And a massive shake-up involving one of their big-money rotation players doesn’t make any sense.”
“So, “ambitious” takes on a little different meaning for Boston. In this team’s case, which doesn’t really need to do anything, simply upgrading the 10th or 11th man in the rotation could be the only realistic move on the table.”
“If the Miami Heat get off to a slow start and move Jimmy Butler (who didn’t sign an extension this summer), they may start unloading other veterans, as well. Kevin Love is a floor-spacer with championship experience who’d fit Boston’s culture and three-point-heavy offense.”
Love, a five-time All-Star and 2016 NBA champion with the Cleveland Cavaliers, would surely enjoy competing for a second ring in Boston. The 36-year-old stretch big has always been outspoken about his respect for Brad Stevens and the Celtics organization under Stevens.
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