Q: Ira, does Terry Rozier’s expiring contract after this season help in trade talks with Milwaukee in regards to getting Giannis Antetokounmpo? Send hometown Tyler Herro to Wisconsin, an expiring Rozier contract, a few first-rounders and maybe the kicker of Kel’el Ware. Is it possible? – A.C.
A: As previously chronicled in this space and elsewhere, the Heat at the moment have received no guidance from the NBA whether Terry Rozier’s salary can be utilized in a trade or whether he even can be waived, as he remains tied to the FBI gambling investigation. The guidance basically has been, if you want to make a trade involving Terry Rozier’s salary then bring it to us and we’ll decide at the time. The problem is by then, Milwaukee (in the case of Giannis Antetokounmpo) or another team might move on to what is firmly on the table elsewhere. But since you mentioned Giannis, I’m not sure anything would be off the table from a Heat perspective, save, perhaps for Bam Adebayo. And that also is where Milwaukee would want to start. Ultimately, the Thunder, particularly with their draft assets, could trump anything the Heat could put on the table. You would think the Clippers first-round pick held by the Thunder would be rather enticing. For now, though, we wait on the extent of Giannis’ Wednesday night injury.
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Q: Ira, I realize that this NBA is a business, but what do you think of the Clippers sending future Hall of Famer Chris Paul home while on the road following a loss to the Heat, from Atlanta? In other words, the brass fired him without explanation. Seems awfully cold to me. – Bill, Palm Beach Gardens.
A: There certainly was no sign on Monday night at Kaseya Center that the Clippers would be hours away from severing ties with Chris Paul. But even with the amount of aggressive reporting that is out there these days, you never fully can be sure about what is happening behind closed doors. At the moment, it is not a good look for the Clippers. But that also is at the moment.
Q: Ira, your readers are always telling you that Erik Spoelstra should play Kel’el Ware or Nikola Jovic. Don’t you think he knows best? – Armond.
A: Two thoughts in that regard: First, there is nothing wrong with having an opinion or a viewpoint that something should be done differently; it’s sports and it’s only a game, so it’s not as if opining on national security or the like. But second, and this is significant, only Erik Spoelstra and his staff and management see what happens at practice, at shootarounds, at team meetings and at video sessions. There is far more that goes into the equation than where a player was drafted, what he is paid or even the minutes the media and public get to see during games. I highly, highly, highly doubt that Erik Spoelstra sees players excel behind closed doors and then said, “Nah, ain’t going to play him.” As it was, Kel’el Ware was both good and bad on Wednesday night against the Mavericks. Nikola was only the latter.
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