ASK IRA: Is draft capital the key to a Heat revival?
Q: It’s funny seeing people talk about trading Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro for “draft capital. ” We had draft capital in 2017 and 2019, and with it we drafted Bam and Tyler Herro, who have both turned into All-Stars. Isn’t that what we hoped for?
And now that we’ve gotten what we hoped for, people want to trade them for … draft capital again? – Aram, Nokomis. A: But “draft capital” is different from draft picks.
Once a draft pick is executed, it is like a new car being driven off the lot, immediately depreciating. The point of “draft capital” is to acquire enough future picks to be able to package them, with picks not holding any cost against the salary cap. So if the Heat were to package, say, Bam Adebayo for draft capital, it would be with the thought of then possibly packaging those picks for a star talent, perhaps one a level above Bam.
It is why it would have been preferable for the pick the Heat got from Golden State last year for Jimmy Butler not to have been in last year’s draft, but rather down the road. Similarly, that’s why a future first-rounder as compensation from the Hornets from the Terry Rozier trade would have meant exponentially more than a mere second-rounder this June. A “pick package” likely would be the goal of any Heat star trade for draft, well, capital.
Similarly, if the Bucks do consider the Heat for a Giannis Antetokounmpo deal , it likely would be with eyes on Heat picks in 2031 and ’33, since those could be flipped, with plenty of years in the interim to consider the trade possibilities. Related Articles Submit your “Ask Ira” question here! Q: Given the players that would have to be shipped out to make a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade happen, would a core of Bam Adebayo and Giannis work well together, or would opponents pack the paint given the lack of 3-point shooters?