ASK IRA: Did an overplayed hand cost the Heat a Caleb Martin return?

Q: Why couldn’t the Heat keep Caleb Martin? They offered more money. Tired of being a developmental squad for our rivals. If the Heat doesn’t want to be a contender, stop pretending. Spend the money. I’m losing faith in the organization. Heat Culture doesn’t get us a title. Longtime Heat fan getting tired of the same ole same ole. – Dave.

A: The Heat not only could have kept Caleb Martin, they offered a lot more money than the 76ers. A lot more money. With the Heat, Caleb would have received a $13 million average. With the 76ers, the guarantee stands around $8 million, plus bonuses that might not be that likely. To a degree, one could argue the Heat might have overpaid with their offer, in light of what Caleb took from the 76ers. The difference is the Heat had to have a decision by a week ago, before free agency, because of the structuring of an opt-in and extend. Caleb thought he could have gotten more and found out otherwise. This had nothing to do with coming up short with an offer. Quite the otherwise, this was offering above-market money but with a timing element. You could probably come up with more questions about what the Heat did with Thomas Bryant, Kevin Love and Alec Burks than what didn’t happen with Caleb.

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Q: Ira, even when the Heat had an uptick in their offense, like in the playoff victory against Boston, Erik Spoelstra defiantly insisted that they had to win in the mud, with defense. He said the same thing after the season, also. So my question is if they are trying to win on defense, then why let Caleb Martin go? – Dan.

A: It might not seem to make sense, but it comes down to dollars and timing. Based on where the Heat roster stands, and based on the new luxury-tax and apron rules going into full effect, the Heat basically found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. And that happens. That said, and based on moves made to this point, including the offense-first trade for Terry Rozier and the money spent on Kevin Love in free agency, it does seem as if the Heat are presenting Erik Spoelstra with his hardest hand to play on the defensive end. Where the Heat last season had the ability to close with an all-defensive lineup of say Bam Adebayo, Caleb Martin, Jimmy Butler, Haywood Highsmith and Delon Wright, it now appears as if Bam and Jimmy are the only two defensive closers. Yes, there is hope for Jaime Jaquez Jr. in that regard, and perhaps still Josh Richardson, but the defensive lineups that had been a staple no longer appear as prevalent. That puts a lot of pressure on the system.

Q: The Heat are minus three of the five starters they had in the 2023 Eastern Conference finals and NBA Finals.  And the Heat received zero compensation. The Heat were penalized for being successful. That isn’t a good business model. Sorry to interrupt regular-scheduled programming. – Stuart, Miami.

A: But the counter could be the money spent elsewhere that seemingly precluded the retention of Max Strus, Gabe Vincent and Caleb Martin. For example, had the Heat not brought Kevin Love back for $4 million and instead went for a replacement at the minimum, there would have been more leeway for a Martin return. Similarly, the money spent on Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson meant less money spent elsewhere. And that’s not even getting into Kyle Lowry’s expiring money being turned into Terry Rozier’s contract. It’s as much about balancing the ledger as it is the NBA’s new workplace math.