Q: Ira, I don’t get it. How do we let the Knicks get John Konchar and Bruce Brown? Why didn’t we make an offer? – Allen.
A: First, teams know where opportunities stand when it comes to taking non-guaranteed contracts for training camp. With the Heat, if Nick Richards, who is on a non-guaranteed deal, makes the opening-night roster and therefore is guaranteed for the season, then he would account for the 14th and final spot likely to be filled for the start of the season. And while there could be another spot created if Myron Gardner would be waived, the Heat clearly see something there (as well as having a player who only has a $500,000 guarantee for a $2.5 million salary-cap slot). With the players signed by the Knicks to non-guaranteed camp tryouts – Konchar, Bruce Brown, Drew Eubanks, James Wiseman and Ochai Agbaji – it comes down to whether the Heat believe any would be more valuable than developmental projects.
Q: Man I wanted Trevor Keels on a two-way. He can shoot. – Warren.
A: Yes, he can. But with players on that level, it often comes down to what else they can or cannot do. What this shows is that the discerning NBA-scouting eye can tell the difference between summer and G League success compared to the league, itself. And it’s not as if other teams haven’t had the chance to make a move for Trevor. Basically, with Klay Thompson, Tim Hardaway Jr., Bobby Portis Jr., Simone Fontecchio, and others, the Heat believe they have 3-point shooting covered.
Q: We gonna turn Mo Bamba to La Bamba. – Dim.
A: Again, that is only G League rights. If the Jazz waive Mo Bamba, the entire NBA first would get a crack on the waiver wire, with Mo then allowed to seek his own NBA deal, before turning to the G League. So what the Heat did was buy a futures position, that Mo might not be able to last in the NBA, but potentially could be resurrected in the G League.