ASK IRA: Does Patty Mills have an incumbent advantage with Heat in NBA free agency?

Q: Patty Mills is coming back to the Heat in his dreams. –  Wolfgang.

A: What else would you expect a player to say as he heads into free agency from a destination franchise such as the Heat? So, yes, Patty Mills clearly wants to return to the Heat if all things are equal. But they’re not. The Heat have to start thinking about getting younger. They likely will have to make a choice between Patty or Delon Wright, and that’s if either returns. And they will have far more pressing issues to first address. It’s not as if Patty Mills did anything wrong during his brief Heat tenure. It’s just that the invitation basically was for a two-month run, with nothing guaranteed thereafter. Now, should Kevin Love not return, then it is possible Patty comes back in the Heat’s time-honored mentorship role previously held by the likes of Juwan Howard and Udonis Haslem.

Q: Hi, Ira. It’s not just about going out and getting talent (see James Harden, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant with the Nets), it’s about getting talent that’s a good fit schematically, and in terms of personalities and team chemistry. Boston did a masterful job of that.  – Ray, Deerfield Beach.

A: But it’s also a matter of identifying talent that could become available while also having the assets to close deals. It’s not as if the Heat did not recognize that Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday could have helped them, as well (they could have and would have). It’s that Boston seized the moment and had the assets to close the deals. Sometimes it’s as much about the maneuvering as the personnel assessment.

Q: So, I read your piece on Ron Holland and I made mention prior to the NBA draft that Portland drafting Scoot Henderson to replace Damian Lillard was fool’s gold. I based that on the numerous players who look great in the G League and can’t cut it at the NBA level. – Rodney.

A: Except Ron Holland did not look great in the G League, based on his turnovers and shooting struggles. But what he did show was NBA-level defensive tenacity. And at No. 15 (if that’s where the Heat stick), getting a player with at least a single ready-for-the-moment skill is a net gain.