Q: Ira, if Pat Riley’s been paying attention he would recognize that aPlan B of cap space for next summer could prove meaningless. Already, the Hawks re-signed CJ McCollum and the Suns re-signed two players. This is not 2010. – Anderson.
A: Completely agree that cap space can sound better in concept than reality. With the new early-negotiating rules with a team’s own free agents, deals can now be done before a player hits the market, as you cite this weekend with CJ McCollum and the Suns’ Collins Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin. Yes, the threat of cap space can help with trades made in advance for impending free agents, but it simply is not what it used to be, and the approach of hoarding it for a franchise makeover arguably is misguided.
Q: If you are not legitimately willing to walk away, you will end up making a bad deal. Are the Heat legitimately willing to walk away from the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, if necessary? Having Giannis and a poor supporting cast gets you nowhere, just ask the Bucks. – Andrew, Coral Gables.
A: I’m not sure there can be such a thing as a bad deal for a superstar still arguably in his prime. And the Heat would be a better landing spot for Giannis Antetokounmpo than what he left, regardless of what is dealt out, simply because of coaching and a scouting staff that finds the right players to round out a star-driven roster. Giannis plus Bam Adebayo plus Erik Spoelstra checks many of the boxes needing to contend.
Q: So is Nikola Jovic in the trade or not? – Vlad.
A: That could come down to what cap year the deal is made. If this is an instant trade, one that is signed off on before June 30, and therefore based on the 2025-26 salary cap, then most likely not, because of Nikola Jovic’s impending extension. If it is written to be completed either July 1 (the start of the new cap calendar) or July 6 (the start of next season’s signing period), then Nikola being in the mix would be more possible. All of that said, it comes down to a trade partner’s willingness to take on Nikola at $62.4 million over four seasons, starting next season.
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