The midweek timing of the Heat's arrival in Phoenix rekindled the debate of players vs. picks when it comes to transactions, in the wake of the Eric Bledsoe trade to the Milwaukee Bucks and the deal four seasons ago of Goran Dragic from the Suns to the Heat.
No Western Conference team has taken more of a stance with the process than the Phoenix Suns, the team that holds the Heat's (somewhat-protected) 2018 first-round pick and 2021 (unprotected) first-round pick from the February 2015 Dragic trade.
"If you look at the broader picture league-wise, hopefully we're at the top of the list or near the top of the list as far as teams that could put together a compelling package for a star," Phoenix general manager Ryan McDonough said in the Suns' arena as the Heat were practicing in another part of the facility. "Or we could continue to draft and develop players, which we have been doing."
There certainly is plenty to be said about draft picks, with the Boston Celtics parlaying one into Kyrie Irving and the Bucks utilizing a potential lottery selection for Bledsoe.
Then there is the pick the Suns will get from the Heat in June, provided it is not among the first seven selections (otherwise unprotected in 2019), and the unprotected one in 2021.
Dragic made clear there was no way he would inject himself back into the Suns conversation, after, like Bledsoe, forcing his way out amid the chaos seemingly fostered by Robert Sarver's ownership.
"I'm completely out," Dragic said. "I don't want to be involved any more. For me, this is the past and I'm happy with the present in Miami."
That the Suns got two first-round picks for Dragic and just one first-rounder and one second-rounder for Bledsoe speaks more to where each stood at the time of their trades, with Dragic coming off a third-team All-NBA season and Bledsoe toiling for a lottery loiterer. In addition, the competition for Dragic was far fiercer at the 2015 trading deadline, with the Heat needing to acquire the Bird Rights for the impending free agent, otherwise without the means to pursue him that offseason.
For the most part, the trade of Bledsoe was panned by the Phoenix media, if only because of the uncertainty of what the picks could become (the second-rounder from the Bucks only is conveyed if the Bucks close with one of the NBA's 13 best records this season, otherwise that portion of the trade is extinguished).
But here's an irony: With the Heat having reached the playoffs only once in Dragic's first three season on the roster, there has been thought in South Florida that the bill coming due is excessive, yet, by contrast, the thought by some in Phoenix is that the Suns lost that deal, as well.
Ultimately, the quality of the draft picks, how they are exercised and the Heat's' success over these remaining three seasons on Dragic's contract (although he can opt out for 2019-20) will determine who came out ahead in the Dragic deal.
It also is significant to note that the Heat never got to fully utilize the roster envisioned when the Dragic deal was made, with Chris Bosh's first blot-clotting episode diagnosed as the Dragic trade was being finalized with the league. And, ultimately, there was only a season and a half alongside Dwyane Wade.
If the Heat knew then what they later would have to accept with Bosh, it is reasonable to assume the approach might have been different, the future perhaps protected to a greater degree. In that respect, the salary-cap and luxury-tax hit of Bosh may be off the books, but the impact of his absence lingers.
Had there been more of Bosh, there assuredly would have been more of Wade. And there would have been more winning. More playoffs. And there would have been little more than middling picks conveyed to Phoenix.
