In the aftermath of the Miami Heat’s failed efforts to acquire Bradley Beal, one team insider believes that the efforts could cause issues among the team’s members.
On the “Five on the Floor” podcast, Ethan Skolnick indicated (at the 24:24 mark) that a potential rift could emerge.
“I do not think they can bring this same team back to training camp because their business is out there now, and they hate that” said Skolnick.
Delving further into the issue, Skolnick pointed (at the 25-minute mark) to three Heat guards, whose statuses with the team were likely in question during trade talks for Beal.
“Stuff does get out, and when stuff does get out, okay, it makes it uncomfortable,” said Skolnick. “And now you have a situation if they end up bringing back roughly the same team. If Kyle Lowry is back in camp again and Tyler Herro is back again in camp again and Victor Oladipo opts in and is back in camp again, I’m sorry, it’s gonna be awkward as s—. It just is.”
The Phoenix Suns recently agreed to acquire Beal in exchange for a trade package highlighted by veteran guard Chris Paul. Prior to that deal, the Heat had been prominently mentioned as prime candidates to acquire Beal.
Without Beal, the Heat have had plenty of success over three of the past four seasons, including a pair of trips to the NBA Finals. The first of those came in 2020, when the Heat reached the Finals within the league’s Orlando, Fla. bubble.
The following year, the Heat were unable to sustain that success and made a quick exit in the postseason. However, the 2021-22 season witnessed the Heat bounce back and reach Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
This past campaign, the regular season struggles of the Heat put in doubt the team even reaching the playoffs. However, after emerging from the play-in portion of the schedule, the team caught fire and ended up in the 2023 NBA Finals.
In truth, Skolnick’s concern might be seen as a bit extreme, given the fact that all three players are veterans who surely know that the NBA is a business. That means that in the end, all three players are team commodities that can be moved if the team sees that as the best option.
The playoff run this year came largely without any contributions from Herro and Oladipo, who both ended up getting injured during the first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks. In the case of Lowry, he did offer solid postseason contributions, though they came after a regular season in which his 2021 acquisition was questioned.
Herro being floated in trade rumors is nothing new to him since his name has frequently been mentioned in past rumors. Meanwhile, the 37-year-old Lowry is on the downside of his career, and Oladipo may never again return to the excellence he displayed prior to a series of injuries.
The opinions about potential turmoil were uttered less than a day after news of the Beal trade broke. That immediacy means that it might be a wise course of action to step away and let the team deal with any potential blowback.