The Miami Heat were linked with Beal this offseason – and are rumored to have been in position to go and get him – but they didn’t. Are they being proven right?
The Heat of course also struck out on their main summer trade target in Damian Lillard, who ended up going to the Milwaukee Bucks in a deal that the Suns helped to facilitate. They did not turn their attention to Beal immediately, and in fact it may have been that the player was more in favor of the move than the organization. Beal has already said as much himself this season;
That is a long-winded way for Beal to say that he was interested in heading to South Beach to team up with Jimmy Butler, but that the franchise didn’t care to move quick enough to go out and get him. Given that Beal also had a trade clause at the time, and that the Wizards got very little from the Suns for him anyway, a deal surely could have been worked out if the Heat wanted to.
Only they didn’t, and they now sit 10-6 in the Eastern Conference and have positioned themselves much like they have in the last several seasons. Once again being overlooked while turning players many people have never heard of into the ideal role guys to go with Butler and Bam Adebayo.
Tyler Herro – the most likely player who would have been moved for Beal – is still on their roster and although the Heat seem to win more games and appear more cohesive when he sits, they must still think Herro is the better long-term option between himself and Beal. The age profile trends in Herro’s direction, he’s seven years younger at 23, but what if the health report does too?
Herro broke his hand in the opening round of the playoffs proper last season against the Bucks, but unlike Beal, he has never had any issues with his back. For all of Beal’s durability earlier in his career, in the four two seasons he has played (in reverse order), 50, 40, 60 and 57 games. The three years preceding that? all 82 games twice, and 77 before that.
Now it is the Suns who are having to contend with the fact that Beal may miss the rest of the in-season tournament, but much more importantly, already cannot be relied upon to be out there when it really matters. Durant and lately Booker have done a great job of masking this fact, and the Suns will keep knocking off regular season wins if their role players continue to shoot well.
But this wasn’t what the organization had in mind when they traded Chris Paul for Beal. It was time to move on from CP3 anyway, but there are other directions the front office could have gone in. Instead they went after a player who the Heat – astute judges talent in the league – wouldn’t pick up the phone and return calls to. We’re almost into December, and that looks a smart choice.
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