NBA RoundTable Of Sorts

I really want to do some sort of “NBA Roundtable” where I discuss topics around the league that
I find interesting, so… here it goes!

Miami Heat

Well, first and foremost, we’ve obviously gotta start with the hometown team—the Miami Heat.
The big Jimmy Butler trade finally happened, sending him to Golden State in exchange for
Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, and even Davion Mitchell, who ended up starting in his very
first game as a member of the Heat. That came after Tyler Herro was ruled out just hours before
their matchup against the Boston Celtics. With the weight of the trade off their shoulders, you’d
hope for a fresh start, but instead… yeah, let’s not talk about that game.

And honestly, I’d rather not dwell on last night’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder
either. The Heat looked resilient on both ends through the first two quarters and into the third,
closing the quarter up 10. But momentum shifted fast—Miami was held scoreless for the first six
minutes of the fourth, and at that point, there wasn’t much they could do to change the
inevitable outcome.

To be completely honest, there’s no way anyone in their right mind can start judging this new era
of Heat basketball just yet. They just went up against two of the best teams in the
league—Boston and OKC—both of whom have legitimate championship aspirations, and for
good reason. The depth and pure star power on those rosters are on another level right now,
something this current Heat squad seems to lack at the moment.

Yeah, acquiring Andrew Wiggins to replace Jimmy Butler sounds good on paper as far as the
stats go, but he just doesn’t command the same level of attention that Butler does. That seems
to be the biggest takeaway from watching Jimmy play alongside Steph—how both the media
and Golden State are reacting to this newfound offensive flow. Jimmy’s ability to get to the
free-throw line is creating opportunities for others in that Warriors lineup, and more importantly,
it’s unlocking Curry’s offense. With Butler out there as another legitimate offensive threat, Steph
isn’t getting completely hounded on every play, which is making a huge difference.

Nonetheless, I like the Davion Mitchell pickup, and I’m excited to see what he can accomplish in
a Heat uniform since he’s practically a perfect fit for “Heat Culture.” As for Wiggins, he’s a really
solid wing with major upside to make winning plays. The key will be finding ways to keep him
engaged on the offensive side of the ball since we desperately need scoring in spurts. And
there’s nothing better than having a guy who can score at all three levels like Wiggins can.

Hopefully, after these two huge L’s, they’ll find a way to regroup and come away with a victory
tonight in Dallas—though it’s been, I guess you could say, rocky…

Dallas Mavericks

So for Dallas… Man oh man. The Luka Doncic trade seems to have shifted the future of this
team, who seemed to easily be a contender for the next decade with Luka at the helm, coming
off a Finals appearance where it seemed to only be the beginning of what’s to come for Dallas.
Well, that all changed once Nico Harrison decided to make the biggest trade in NBA
history—offloading his 25-year-old phenom in Luka Doncic who, once again, I’ll reiterate, just
made the NBA Finals the season prior—in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a
future first-round draft pick.

Regardless of who they received in return (unless it’s Nikola Jokic, Giannis, or maybe Shai
Gilgeous-Alexander), they were going to be on the losing end of this deal because you don’t
trade away a 25-year-old superstar—especially considering the mere impact it’ll have on the
franchise, city, and fans.

It’s very disheartening that they didn’t consider the fanbase as a factor, knowing damn well Luka
is the most important figure to Mavs basketball other than the great Dirk Nowitzki, who passed
the torch to Luka in his last season in the NBA. To throw that all away the year after their first
Finals run with him? IT’S RIDICULOUS!!!

Betrayal is the term most Mavs fans would use if they had to say what they were feeling at this
very moment—other than the obvious answer, which is definitely angry.

As they pushed Luka out the door, they’ve even tried to bury him and talk down on him—saying
he’s not a hard worker and constantly bashing him through media leaks and quotes from the
team president, who couldn’t know less about basketball. Considering his work history is in a
whole other field of business and he’s only been around basketball for no longer than a year,
that’s just no way to treat a franchise star on his way out—especially when they’re the ones
pushing him out rather than him asking out.

Talking all that nonsense about him not being available or in shape and then getting instant
karma, funny enough, by having AD re-aggravate his injury in his very first game—even though
he did have a monstrous first half where he completely took over, giving some glimmer of hope
for this team after all. But no—AD got hurt and may be out for weeks. Meanwhile, Daniel
Gafford, the only other healthy big man on the roster, instantly got hurt the next game, setting a
screen and injuring his knee. He will also be out for at least two weeks.

It’s been a complete disaster for this Mavericks team in the past week and a half, and I couldn’t
feel any more sorry for Mavs fans.

Toronto Raptors

Now, onto the Toronto Raptors—where I’m not quite sure what to make of them. They have a
young and talented group, but their roster is expensive and seems to lack clear direction unless
everything somehow falls perfectly into place.

Let’s go down the roster, player by player.

We’ll start with their most recent acquisition, Brandon Ingram. He has proven to be an
above-average scorer with elite ball skills, but he has yet to establish himself in a winning
situation—aside from one playoff run where he was available but underwhelming. Despite that,
the Raptors signed him to a three-year extension worth up to $120 million, giving him about $40
million per year. That’s a hefty price for a player unproven in high-stakes situations, but given
that Toronto isn’t a prime destination for most NBA players, they likely had to overpay to keep
him. In that sense, this trade deadline acquisition was more like a free agency signing than a
simple trade. Do I love the extension? Not necessarily. But I understand the logic behind it.

Scottie Barnes is the face of the franchise and the future of this team. Everyone can get behind
giving him a max rookie extension—because, well, duh, he’s worth it. However, the rest of their
salary structure raises some concerns.

They locked in Immanuel Quickley on a five-year deal averaging about $32.5 million per year.
Jakob Poeltl is making around $20 million per year, and RJ Barrett is in the mid-$20 million
range. That means every starter is earning at least $20 million annually, which severely limits
their financial flexibility. Unless they make trades, they’ll be handcuffed by the new CBA rules,
which restrict teams’ ability to improve midseason—particularly in terms of signings and trade
eligibility. They risk ending up like the Suns, who were nearly forced to trade Kevin Durant at the
deadline just to shake up their roster because Bradley Beal wouldn’t waive his no-trade clause
(which, fun fact, only he and LeBron James currently have).

Unless Masai Ujiri has a big move up his sleeve, I’m skeptical about this team’s long-term
success. The way they’ve handled contracts could leave them stuck in mediocrity, unable to
make meaningful upgrades. Their best hope might be for someone on the roster—perhaps
Gradey Dick, who has shown improvement in his second season—to take an unexpected leap.
Or maybe they pull off a major trade. Funny enough, could Kevin Durant be an offseason
target? Who knows. But one thing’s for sure—it’d be fun to see the Raptors be good again.