Betting on the Retooling of the Miami Heat

A rumored deal is just a rumor – until the deal is signed. 

This is how it is in the NBA, or anywhere else in the world of professional sports.  

Rumor mills churn out and circulate just about anything there is to hear about player recruitment and transfers when contracts end at the close of each season, especially for top caliber players. 

It’s that time of the year when team owners and players get together, not in a huddle to execute a play, but to negotiate for salaries and perks within the ground rules set by their respective governing sports bodies.  

Sports analysts and bookmakers at sports betting sites then pause awhile to take a second look at statistics, historical precedents, player movements, and other data that could impact on the future of every team.

For fresh recruits and rookie players in the NBA, it’s called draft season, where young college standouts apply and make themselves available for the big league.  For seasoned players with ending contracts from their home teams, it’s time to negotiate for a better deal, or look elsewhere for another team with a more promising outlook.

Last July 3rd, speculations about Miami’s interest in a 19-year-old draftee from Serbia finally ended, with last season’s semi finalist actually recruiting Nikola Jovic. Yes, the 6’9” forward is 19 and is from Serbia.     

With old contracts up for renewal and new ones up for grabs, the Miami Heat, according to the NBA Central, is reportedly determined “to exhaust all options” to haul in Kevin Durant to beef up Miami’s sterling power forward Jimmy Butler and company.  

Durant is reportedly unhappy over his team’s unsuccessful bid in the16-team playoff round last season and is looking for a new band to strut his wares and win a third championship ring.  He has won two with the Golden State Warriors, in 2017 and 2018.    

KD might just be the guy to help Miami Heat win an NBA title in the forthcoming season, but the Brooklyn Nets are even more resolute to get a better package to replace their all-star poster boy.  And with the Nets in the third wheel, the Heat and KD romance faces a not so certain future.     

With the KD deal a bare possibility, the Heat is also in the mix of interested parties wanting to acquire Utah Jazz’ star Donovan Mitchell. Both Jazz and Mitchell are open to trade scenarios, if the price is right – which could actually go sky high.

After all, the Jazz knows the value of Mitchell, who averaged 23.9 PPG, 4.5 APG, and 4.2 RPG in over 300 NBA regular-season matches. With Mitchel in Heat uniform, betway other bookmakers could place them side by side with the Golden States Warriors and Boston Celtics in their list of favorites to win the championship next season. 

Utah’s rotations had once revolved around Mitchell and Frenchman Rudy Gobert, but Jazz has decided to rebuild after the team failed to advance in the first-round playoff last season. Gobert has moved to the Minnesota Timberwolves.   

Unlike Jazz, the Miami Heat is not in rebuild mode.  The Heat has re-signed Caleb Martin, Victor Oladipo and Dewayne Dedmon.  Veteran Udonis Haslem, the lone holdover of the team’s 2013 championship run, may continue to don the Heat uniform for a sentimental 20th season.  

However, free agent PJ Tucker is finalizing a three-year, $33.2 million fully guaranteed deal with the 76ers.  Markieff Morris has also expressed a desire to leave Miami to play for Philadelphia, where he was born and raised.  And rumors have it that he might just get his wish.

With the NBA’s rumor mills still twisting and turning, there’s nothing certain yet about the Miami Heat, except that Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra are working together to give it a big boost with a more potent game changer. 

And they’re not giving up on Durant just yet, according to the word on the street.