ASK IRA: Could a Kendrick Nunn free-agency reunion work for Heat?
Q: Ira, Kendrick Nunn is a free agent. I would like to see him come back to the Heat. If healthy he would actually be an upgrade if Gabe Vincent leaves. – Joel, Fort Lauderdale.
A: No issue there. But that also could/would only happen if Kendrick Nunn would be willing to accept the league minimum, which would be more than a 50% pay cut from the $5.3 million earned this past season. And there also is a degree of history there, with the Heat having rescinded a qualifying offer to Kendrick during the 2021 offseason. But, again, you are talking about adding another mid-range element to the equation. Still, at the minimum you at least would be getting a degree of preexisting familiarity. And that Heat have become well known for reunions.
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Q: Hello Ira, this Damian Lillard wait-athon is looking more and more like last year’s Kevin Durrant sucker-athon. While we wait on Lillard and the Blazers, other teams with cap space and tradable assets, we need look elsewhere. We can end up missing out on a player or two who could really help this Heat team get to the next level. Do you think the Heat have a Plan B? – Carlos, West Park.
A: Do you have to have a Plan B for a team that finished three wins from a championship? (Yes, I know it sounds like last year’s similar thought regarding a team that finished one win from the 2022 NBA Finals.) I’m just not sure that the urgency level from the front office is the same from fans, nor does it necessarily have to be. Tyler Herro will be back, a year older, after missing the playoffs. There still is ample time for growth in Bam Adebayo’s game. Kyle Lowry, in the final year of a contract, showed in the playoffs there still is something there. Now, is that enough in the East? Seemingly not. Change should be embraced, but it should not be forced. Each opportunity has to be weighed independently, not because Kevin Durant got away or because Damian Lillard might.
Q: I thought Omer Yurtseven would’ve been a bigger piece overall. I’m not sure what he’s doing wrong, but I thought he would’ve been out of the doghouse by now. I mean respectfully if you can’t easily beat out Cody Zeller you’re not a rotational player. – Swann.
A: There simply appears to be a disconnect between what Omer Yurtseven believes he is and what the coaching staff believes he has become. Look, the staff has worked relentlessly with Omer when it comes to skills training and drilling. They have worked to make it work. But sometimes a player doesn’t fit a vision, particularly if the vision is a defense-first vision. I believe Omer well could have success in the NBA, just not sure that the opportunity will be there with the Heat. He views himself as something, while the Heat view him as something else.
