The Heat s "stingy" gamble: exchange for scraps of money? Riley s abacus is awesome

"In Pat Riley's dictionary, there is no 'stud', only 'free'."

According to reporter Evan Sidery, in the trade negotiations surrounding Kevin Durant, the Miami Heat were quite cautious about sending out center Wealth, but they were willing to use Jaime Jacques Jr. or Nikola Jovic as bargaining chips. Reports show that the Miami Heat will build with Jaime Jacques Jr. or Nikola Jovic as the core to get the offer from the Suns, and will also attach the contracts necessary to balance salary, as well as a certain number of draft assets.

The Miami Heat's interest in Kevin Durant is no longer a secret, but their offer exudes a "both wanted and wanted" feeling that he is willing to give Jaime Jacques or Nikola Jovic, but he is firmly holding on to rookie center Wealth. As the No. 15 pick in 2023, Wealth had 9.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in the rookie season. His defensive potential is visible to the naked eye. He is regarded as Adebayo's future inside partner by the Heat. Jacques & Jovic is both role players, with mediocre data (Jacques 8.6+4.4+2.5, Jovic 10.7+3.9+2.8), and is a "substitute" in the Heat system.

Riley's move is undoubtedly to maintain future competitiveness by retaining Wealth, rather than taking a single bet. By testing the Suns' bottom line, see if Durant can be leveraged with the cheapest chips. In Riley's view, Durant is currently in a priceless market. The Rockets, Timberwolves and Heat bid, but no one is willing to produce top stars, and the Suns are not willing to give up at all, requiring at least one All-Star player + multiple first rounds. But the reality is that each team is only willing to issue "potential stocks + balance contracts". The Heat's current quotation (Jacques/Jovic + balance + draft pick) is even less attractive than the Rockets (Jalen Green + Dillon + draft pick) and the Timberwolves (Reed + McDaniels + draft pick). This makes the Suns look like a second-hand store that is rushing to sell luxury goods, while the Heat only Willing to pay the price of Pinduoduo.

The Heat's most successful deal in recent years is to get Jimmy Butler with "almost zero cost" in 2019 (only giving away Josh Richardson + first-round pick). Now, Riley seems to want to replicate this magical operation, exchange non-core players + draft picks for super giants, and never sacrifice future cores, but Durant's transaction is much more difficult than Butler. Butler was abandoned by the 76ers back then, Durant is still the top Suns, and the Suns will not sell it easily, unless Riley is willing to increase the price of Wealth. It can be seen that "Riley either adds money or leaves - the Suns are not the Timberwolves, and he will not be fooled twice. ”