Winderman: As Giannis arrives with extension in hand, do Heat thoughts turn to Kawhi, Blake? | Commentary

The upcoming Tuesday and Wednesday visits to AmericanAirlines Arena by Giannis Antetokounmpo certainly will take on a different tenor with the Milwaukee Bucks forward having recently agreed to his five-year super-max extension.

Without the extension, it would have been particularly interesting had the coronavirus pandemic not prevented fans from attending, producing one of those rare NBA nights when an opponent is embraced.

Such is a world where fans are well versed in upcoming free agency and cap space.

So now does the outpouring wait until Jan. 28, when the Los Angeles Clippers arrive, possibly with fans back in seats at 601 Biscayne Boulevard?

Kawhi Leonard certainly has left that door open.

On the eve of a season that will end with the championship forward with an opt-out to mull, Leonard made it clear it is an option he is considering.

“For my situation right now,” he said during a video media session, “I’m just focused on this season. You know what I mean? I’m not saying I’m going anywhere else or staying here. But I’m just focused on the season.

“And, obviously, if I stay healthy, the best decision is to decline the player option. But that doesn’t mean I’m leaving or staying. I’m focused on this season. We’ll talk about that when the time is right.”

Of course, with Leonard, you never know, even as the goal appears to be holding the Clippers’ feet to the fire. After all, he left the San Antonio Spurs after a championship. And the Toronto Raptors after one, as well.

Granted, with Bam Adebayo’s extension eating into their 2021 salary-cap space, the Heat will be space shy when it comes to Leonard’s maximum slot. But with Paul George locked into the Clippers’ books with an extension of his own, the Clippers could potentially be amenable to a franchise-salvaging sign-and-trade, if cornered into such a spot.

The point being that even with Giannis off the board in free agency, and even with seemingly every extension-eligible candidate opting for an extension over 2021 free agency, there still are options for the cap space the Heat have squirreled away.

Future cap space that could make it easier to deal at this season’s trading deadline.

Or facilitate trades next summer (removing the need to match salaries dollar for dollar).

Or potentially shop next summer from the B-list.

And then there is an idea floated by The Athletic, a possible move for Blake Griffin from the rebuilding Detroit Pistons.

Yes, we get it. He’s 31 and coming off years of injuries. But that could make the asking price more reasonable than the Heat trade packages floated for James Harden.

With Griffin due $36.8 million this season, and then with a $39 million player option for 2021-22, it puts him at the same age and on the same contract schedule as Jimmy Butler (who has a player option for ’22-23).

Such a move could better position the Heat to win now, while also protecting young assets. (No, Tyler Herro doesn’t go out in this one, and, of course, not Adebayo either.)

But the Pistons basically can move off the 2021-22 money that Griffin likely would opt into, plus could get some of the Heat’s youth (perhaps Kendrick Nunn plus maybe one of either Precious Achiuwa or KZ Okpala). The expiring contracts of Kelly Olynyk and Andre Iguodala would be the starting point to begin the salary-match process (with Meyers Leonard eligible to be thrown in if the Heat wait until February).

For the Heat, working with a roster that can be on both Butler’s schedule and Adebayo’s schedule presents the best of all worlds. And Griffin, with his passing and passable shooting, seemingly would be a quality complement.

For that matter, there also are the San Antonio Spurs and the expiring contract of LaMarcus Aldridge, who is due $24 million this season.

Even with the Heat putting the kibosh on the Harden talks, and even with Giannis arriving for a Tuesday-Wednesday doubleheader with his Bucks extension in tow, there still are paths for Pat Riley and Andy Elisburg to maximize the Heat’s cap approach, even with the Adebayo extension.

Such approaches that then could make it possible to move ahead with another season of Goran Dragic, Avery Bradley and potentially others with 2021-22 Heat team options.

With Giannis, now that the Heat couldn’t get him to join them, it’s back to the way it was in last season’s playoffs — finding a way to again beat him.

IN THE LANE

REALITY CHECK: Asked about the Heat’s enduring success, New Orleans Pelicans coach Stan Van Gundy, the former Heat coach, made sure to add perspective to the reign of Pat Riley, Erik Spoelstra and Andy Elisburg. “It’s not like they haven’t had down times here since Pat’s been here. They haven’t had a lot of ‘em,” Van Gundy said during Friday’s visit to AmericanAirlines Arena. “He’s had great success. But, you know, they had down times. They had a couple of really, really tough years before Dwyane [Wade] came. Those were difficult years. And then, what people forget, is they missed the playoffs three of the five years before they went to the Finals this past year. So it’s not like they haven’t had some down times. And I think a lot of teams, a lot of organizations overreact to those times, and panic, and make changes and everything else. They’ve stayed the course. . . . They know what they’re doing. They believe in what they’re doing, and momentary setbacks have not deterred them.”

BARKLEY’S TAKE: So what does Charles Barkley think of the Heat this season? Not much, insisting there won’t be a return trip to the Eastern Conference finals. “We’re not going back to Miami,” Barkley said on TNT’s Inside the NBA. That’s when fellow analyst Kenny Smith chimed in with, “Eastern Conference finals? They can get there again.” Replied Barkley, “No chance. I’ll take that bet right now.”

HALL CALL: Bypassed for 2020 induction because of the desire of the Basketball Hall of Fame to have an intimate ceremony for the unique class of Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett, former Heat center Chris Bosh is back on the 2021 ballot, with the finalists announced this past week. As a matter of perspective, Bosh is rated at a 99.51 percent chance of eventual induction by Basketball Reference’s Hall of Fame probability metric, directly ahead of 12 players already in the Hall. Also back on the 2021 ballot is former Heat guard Tim Hardaway, who is rated with a 79.19 percent chance of eventual induction. Others on the extensive ballot are former Heat players Dale Ellis and Shawn Marion, as well as Florida State and former University of Miami coach Leonard Hamilton.

FLIP SIDE: So Doc Rivers goes from coach of the Los Angeles Clippers to coach of the Philadelphia 76ers and suddenly . . . he sees the balance of NBA power shifted from the Western Conference to the East. “Let me tell you, man, the East is tough and it’s deep,” Rivers told the Los Angeles Times. “When you look at the West right now, for the most part, it’s the Clippers and the Lakers. I guess Denver you have to put in there. But is there another team? But the East, man, from Miami to Milwaukee to us to Boston to Toronto to Brooklyn. I guess Milwaukee would be the clear-cut favorite, but after that, we are all right there.”

MISSING MAN: Notable in the wake of seemingly anyone eligible receiving a rookie-contact extension stands West Palm Beach Cardinal Newman product John Collins, who was unable to reach such an agreement with the Atlanta Hawks and next will be a restricted free agent in the offseason. “Business is business,” Collins said. “Sometimes you don’t get exactly what you want, or things don’t happen the way you planned.” Collins last season was one of five NBA players to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. But the Hawks then reloaded in the offseason with big-ticket free agents Danilo Gallinari and Bogdan Bogdanovic. “I feel like, from the top to bottom, the guys have shown me they want me, the coaching staff,” Collins said, “but obviously there’s one more step.”

TWITTER TEST: Former University of Miami forward Lonnie Walker is among a group of San Antonio Spurs attempting to get coach Gregg Popovich to open a Twitter account, recognizing the uphill battle. “He doesn’t like to hear people’s BS,” Walker said. Popovich called it a “no shot” possibility.

NUMBER

$5.6 million. Dead money the Heat are carrying on their salary cap this season: the $5.2 million stretch payment to Ryan Anderson (with a similar amount on the 2021-22 cap) and the $350,000 due A.J. Hammons, in the final season of his stretch payments.