MIAMI _ The whirlwind made it seem as if there would be more.
One moment Jimmy Butler was on the phone from South Florida talking about what might follow for the Miami Heat.
"Whenever we start to talk about that and move forward on that type of stuff, that's the next step," he said of potential ensuing Heat moves.
The next moment the Heat first were asking the Oklahoma City Thunder what it would take to land Russell Westbrook and then being asked by the Thunder what it would require to have them take Chris Paul.
Since then? Crickets ... with the accompanying notion that the Miami Heat are done.
They are not.
For the moment? Perhaps. Through August and into September? A reasonable assumption.
But as the calendar turns from July to August, too much has transpired to assume that Pat Riley envisions this as his finished product.
Not with the clock about to start ticking on what could be the first of a mere three seasons with Butler (the fourth season on his freshly minted deal is a player option).
Not after Goran Dragic was all but traded to the Dallas Mavericks _ until the Mavericks realized that Dragic's expiring $19.3 million salary was too cap clogging.
If the Heat's offseason has not turned out to be as transformative as anticipated in the wake of the Butler signing, the season still could be.
In many ways, this is where the handoff to Erik Spoelstra takes the process to the next level.
More of Justise Winslow at point guard would further cast question about Dragic lasting beyond the February trading deadline.
Continued success of the Bam Adebayo-Kelly Olynyk pairing could lead to further inspection of the balance of the power rotation, especially with Olynyk having the right to return to free agency next summer (which could further complicate the long-term salary-cap math).
Re-emergence of Dion Waiters and emergence of Tyler Herro could turn upgrade focus from the perimeter rotation to elsewhere on the roster (which could further mute any Paul speculation).
Then there is the matter of whether there can be/will be a resurrection of James Johnson. Installed two years ago as a captain almost by acclimation, Johnson's influence and impact have been muted by injury. With a contract that expires in 2021 (there also is a player option for next summer that assuredly will be bypassed in favor of $16 million for 2020-21), how far will Spoelstra play to Johnson's unique skill set as opposed to potentially accepting the aging reality of a player who turns 33 at midseason?
Foremost will be the consistent casting of Butler as a leading man. Should he prove capable of handling such a role, then it eases the Part B of the 1-2 equation that has become so essential in the recalculated NBA. If not, then the search for an alpha is renewed.
It is out of those decisions by Spoelstra that the next chapter of the Heat's makeover will be written.
Because there must be a next chapter.
While, at the moment, argument could be made about the 2019-20 Heat at least challenging for a top-four seed, with little East clarity beyond the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers at the top of the conference, the Brooklyn Nets eventually will move into Kevin Durant mode, the Boston Celtics will recalibrate with Kemba Walker, the Indiana Pacers will have Victor Oladipo back to speed, the Toronto Raptors potentially will evolve into something different, and the Atlanta Hawks assuredly will emerge from lottery to legit.
That leaves three or four (or more) teams in the conference trending at an acceleration ahead of the Heat.
Making Butler appear from a void of cap space was a power move at the start of free agency that made it seem as if there would be something equally dynamic to follow.
Don't allow the current lull to create a sense of anything different.
