According to Ethan Skolnick, only one person within the Miami Heat has a solid grasp of the new CBA and its stipulations.
“But this is the grand point, okay, that I think has to be resolved here in the NBA,” Skolnick said regarding the new CBA. “It appears that a lot of agents do not understand the new CBA. And I’ve been told by people inside the Heat that really only one person on their side understands it, okay? Like one person in the league, and it happens to be Andy Elisburg.”
Perhaps Miami’s lack of understanding regarding the new CBA explains why the team hasn’t been very active since the start of free agency outside of a few minor moves. The Heat have reportedly signed Kevin Love to a two-year deal worth $8 million and also recently inked Alec Burks to a one-year deal.
But the Heat have been linked to two of the NBA’s better players lately. First, according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe, the Heat are one of the teams who have expressed interest in trading for Utah Jazz star big man Lauri Markkanen.
“Trading Lauri Markkanen would buy Utah a one-way ticket toward the front of the tank line, and Markkanen indeed stands as perhaps the league’s most intriguing trade chip with Mikal Bridges now in New York,” Lowe wrote. “A pile of teams have shown interest in him, including the San Antonio Spurs, Sacramento Kings, Miami Heat and [Golden State] Warriors, sources said.”
Additionally, according to a report from The Athletic’s Jovan Buha, the Heat are the favorites to acquire DeMar DeRozan.
“The [Los Angeles] Lakers aggressively pursued Klay Thompson, but Thompson turned down their offer of more years and money from the Lakers to join the Dallas Mavericks, according to league sources,” wrote Buha. “They’ve now turned their attention to DeMar DeRozan, though the Miami Heat are currently viewed as slight favorites to land the 15-year veteran and six-time All-Star, according to league sources.”
The Heat are looking to improve their roster after what was an underwhelming 2023-24 campaign.
Miami won 46 games during the regular season and just barely squeaked into the playoffs as the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. While the Heat reached the NBA Finals as a No. 8 seed in 2023, Miami’s stint in the 2024 NBA Playoffs wasn’t nearly as historic or unforgettable.
Sans Jimmy Butler — who missed the entirety of the Heat’s stint in the playoffs due to an MCL injury — Miami lost in convincing fashion to the Boston Celtics in the first round. The Heat were eliminated in five games, and their only win during the best-of-seven series came when they knocked down 23 of their 43 attempts from deep in Game 2.
Plus, all four of the Heat’s losses came by double digits, and three of those losses came by 20 points or more.
If the Heat’s lack of understanding of the new CBA is indeed what has held Miami back from making a major move via trade or free agency thus far, hopefully the team’s staff will be able to get a firmer grasp on how it works in the near future.
