Mailbag: Should Heat trade ‘veteran guard’ for Suns’ No. 6 pick? It’s not that easy
The Miami Herald Heat mailbag is here to answer your questions.
If you weren’t able to ask one this time, send your questions for future mailbags via Twitter (@Anthony_Chiang). You can also email me at achiang@miamiherald.com.
@jlanzas1108: Should the Heat look into the Suns’ No. 6 pick for Goran Dragic?
Anthony Chiang: For some background, ESPN NBA Draft analyst Jonathan Givony reported in his latest mock draft that “Phoenix’s front office has told rival NBA teams it’s open to trading this pick if the right veteran guard is available.” That pick is the No. 6 overall selection in the June 20 draft.
If the Suns are indeed willing to deal that No. 6 pick, the question is who is the “right veteran guard”? Only the Suns know who would be on that list for them, but it’s likely made up of mostly point guards with Devin Booker already at shooting guard. When running through the league’s veteran point guards, Goran Dragic surely comes to mind for most.
Would the Heat include Dragic, 33, in a deal to get the No. 6 pick? Would the Suns consider Dragic the “right veteran guard” and welcome a reunion after Dragic pushed for a trade from Phoenix in 2015? It might not even get to those questions because Dragic is currently not eligible to be traded since he still has the right to become a free agent this summer. In other words, Dragic still has to decide on the $19.2 million player option in his contract for next season before he can be traded.
Players with options in their contracts for the upcoming season can’t be traded until they opt-in. Dragic is expected to opt-in to return to the Heat for the final season of his deal, but he hasn’t officially done so yet. In fact, he has until June 29 to inform the Heat of his decision. That’s after the draft, which means Dragic would prevent a draft-day trade or one that includes another team’s draft pick by delaying his decision past June 20.
The same goes for center Hassan Whiteside, who also has until June 29 to decide on his player option. Whiteside’s option is worth $27.1 million.
@omara341: Do you project one top free agent signing this summer?
Anthony: For the Heat? No. Miami currently has no cap space.
Excluding cap holds, the Heat has 13 players under contract for 2019-20 who are due about $140 million. That includes the four players (Derrick Jones Jr., Yante Maten, Duncan Robinson, Kendrick Nunn) who don’t have their full 2019-20 salaries guaranteed yet. It also includes Dragic and Whiteside. But it doesn’t account for an allocation for the Heat’s first-round draft pick this year.
The $140 million of combined salaries can be lowered by about $6 million by waiving Ryan Anderson by July 10. That still puts the Heat way above the projected $109 million salary cap and just above the projected $132 million luxury tax line.
Unable to sign players into space because the Heat is capped out unless there are moves made to free room, it will have to rely on draft picks, exceptions, minimum contracts, the power of Bird Rights or even trades to fill out their roster.
This story was originally published June 4, 2019 at 10:12 AM.
