Heat’s interest in familiar face could add interesting twist to offseason
Should Bradley Beal be back on the Heat’s radar?
Bradley Beal should be back on the Miami Heat’s radar, at the right price and under the right circumstances. Whether or not he will be available in a way that is most convenient to the Heat remains to be seen. However, it’s certainly one potential scenario that could end up adding another interesting twist to Miami’s offseason.
At least through the first week of what many consider the start of the offseason, not much has gone exactly as predicted for the Heat. They didn’t land Kevin Durant, they haven’t made a trade for another veteran star, and elected to stay put at No. 20 in the NBA Draft to select a prospect with a high ceiling.Continuing that trend of unpredictability, I’d argue another move the Heat could revisit that no one sees coming revolves around a fresh pursuit of Beal.
The right circumstances for Beal
Let’s get one thing out of the way: the Heat should absolutely not be among the teams interested in trading for Beal. If the Heat is looking to maintain as much financial flexibility as possible, it makes little sense to make a move for Beal, considering he has a huge player option for the 2026-27 season.
Unless there’s an under-the-table agreement where he’d decline it, which would be a huge risk and quite possibly against league rules, the Heat would want no business having to deal with that. With a trade off the table, there is one other way in which the Heat could potentially pull off a deal for Beal; that’s if he gets bought out.If the Phoenix Suns can’t find a trade for Beal, there have been whispers that a buyout wouldn’t be completely off the table. According to plugged-in Suns insider John Gambadoro, that appears to be the plan for Beal this summer. If so, the Heat should be willing to pounce.
Why the Heat should take a gamble on Beal
In theory, especially with how the Heat have operated through this point in the offseason, any fan would want this franchise to continue embracing the youth movement. However, this front office has been pretty transparent with their approach. Echoed by Miami’s VP of Basketball Operations, Adam Simon, shortly after the first round of the NBA Draft, the Heat is trying to build a team of players that can win now while also developing at the same time.It may be flawed roster construction, but that’s how the Heat have conducted business for the better part of the last three decades. And I’d say it’s worked out pretty well for them. If the Heat is so motivated to add another veteran difference-maker this summer, I’d much rather add a Beal on a one-year, prove-it deal than another player (on a multi-year deal) who is going to eat up their cap space and complicate their flexibility heading into the future.The question is, would the Heat’s decision-makers agree?
Now that the NBA Draft is over and done with, we’re going to find out a lot about what the Heat’s true intentions are this offseason. But if they want to add another curveball to their offseason, Beal is one name to keep a close eye on. If he’s bought out, it could completely alter the perception of him around the league. The Heat included
