That didn’t take long.
The San Antonio Spurs haven’t even cracked their last bottle of NBA championship bubbly—or Tim Duncan’s case, NBA championship warm milk—yet, and already the focus has shifted to the team they dethroned.
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This always figured to be a big offseason for the Miami Heat, what with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all eligible to become unrestricted free agents if they’re feeling particularly agitated or bored or tired or greedy or disloyal, or some combination thereof.
Team president Pat Riley hasn’t once seemed overly worried about Miami’s situation, because, well, Riles doesn’t fret about crap like this. He takes action. He makes plans.
He tries to make upgrades at point guard in the form of Toronto Raptors free agent Kyle Lowry.
During an interview with ESPN’s Hannah Storm, ESPN.com’s Brian Windhorst said that Lowry is one high-profile free agent target the Heat may chase. While he acknowledges signing Lowry is a long shot, he still drops this bucket of intel because, hell, why not? Carmelo Anthony to the Heat rumors are already running batshit crazy. Compared to those, the Lowry chatter is tame. Realistic. Likely, even.
Ahem: It’s not likely.
Lowry is coming off a career season, and though he plays at a loaded point guard position, someone is going to offer him at least $8 or 9 million annually to run their offense. He’ll probably even creep into the $10 million per year range. Could be the Raptors that reward him for his services, could be another team. But it’s going to be someone.
And that someone isn’t Riley.
For the Heat to afford these big names, each member of the Big Three must opt out of their current contracts. And then they must re-sign for less. Much less. Even if Riley were to wave goodbye to everyone else on the roster—Mario Chalmers is a free agent, Chris Andersen and Udonis Haslem hold player options and Norris Cole is under guaranteed contract—they have to take less.
Raise your hand if you see that happening?
That’s too many hands.
Perhaps LeBron, Wade and Bosh are willing to take a little less, but whomever they sign has to meet them halfway, maybe more. When we were talking bout Melo, we found that all four stars would have to accept under $15 million in the first year of their new deals. That was the best-case scenario.
Say Lowry is willing to take, I don’t know, $8 million in 2014-15. That’s being generous. But let’s roll with it. That’s roughly $6 million extra split between the Big Three, which would raise their earning potential to $16 or 17 million at best. There’s no telling if that’s enough when they can all make so much more.
Wade is especially intriguing here. He’s owed more than $42 million over the next two years. Do you see the 32-year-old, physically deteriorating shooting guard walking away from that much coin? I sure as hell don’t.
If he does, and if LeBron and Bosh follow suit, and if them following suit lands Lowry, then more power to them. Until that time, remain vigilant my friends—forever skeptical of the Heat lusting after players they cannot afford.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com.
