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Just like that, Kevin Durant’s name will be thrust back to the forefront of the Miami Heat lexicon a full year before he even becomes eligible to leave his Oklahoma City home for the bright lights of a shinny new city. And all it took was one Pat Riley shout out to “the good people” of Justise Winslow’s Roc Nation Sports management team at the start of the rookie’s introductory press conference.
If you know how the Heat president operates, you know that he rarely says anything without an underlined purpose to it. So when you hear him speak on being happy to work with people from the company Jay Z owns, it would not be farfetched to assume that this was a subtle way of asking Roc Nation: If we treat Winslow well, could you just get us in the room with Durant and let Riley work his magic?
For it to happen the way the Heat’s front office really wants it to, Luol Deng and Dwyane Wade needed to opt-in to the one year remaining on their contracts. Deng surprisingly did. Wade expectedly did not. But can the Heat really let him go?
Beyond Riley and Alonzo Mourning, Wade is Miami basketball. He brought the team Chris Bosh, LeBron James and three championship parades, all while taking two pay cuts for the good of the team. There have been so many sacrifices that he has never even been the highest paid player on the roster. However, if that is what he needs for at least one year of the three that he is seeking, then make it happen. Wade deserves that much — particularly with the uncertainty of being able to pry Durant away.
Pay the man and do not let the long view get in the way of the bigger picture.
Richard Nurse is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @blackirishpr or add him to your network on Google.
