It usually is the sole concern of those in the lottery, tanking for draft position.
But with nothing usual this NBA season, the upcoming final week of the seeding games at Disney World could create a few draft twists, as well.
First, consider that there is absolutely no difference between being the No. 4 or No. 5 seed in either conference, other than having your pretend fans instead of their pretend fans on the video boards.
In that vein, homecourt isn't a thing, with all games at the Wide World of Sports complex.
Then consider that while formal tiebreakers will come into play when it comes to determining playoff seeding, the same ties, when it comes to draft position, are determined by random draw. (And in some cases, ties can be avoided all together, because of the uneven number of games teams will play.)
As a matter of perspective, the Heat go into the final week of seeding games positioned to draft anywhere from No. 18 to No. 26.
That is a wide enough range where teams actually could find themselves with the need to trade up, or desire to trade down. No, it's not quite as dramatic as the top of the draft, nor anything close to the considerations and sweating out that went into the Miami Dolphins holding No. 5 in the NFL draft and landing Tua Tagovailoa at that spot.
Then consider that with two of the Heat's final three games against the Indiana Pacers, a team the Heat are battling at No. 4-No. 5 in the East, the Heat could win a draft slot by losing a seeding spot.
Again, there is absolutely no difference between being a No. 4 or No. 5 seed. You still almost assuredly, by advancing, wind up with the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round.
So while draft position is the least of Erik Spoelstra's concerns at this moment (or any other moment), there always is that hotline from Pat Riley.
To put into perspective what a draft slot or two can mean beyond the lottery, consider some of the Heat's draft history.
In 2007, the Heat traded No. 20 pick Jason Smith to the Philadelphia 76ers for No. 21 pick Daequan Cook, gaining a second-round pick in the process.
In 2010, the Heat traded No. 32 pick Bojan Bogdanovic and a second-round pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves for No. 28 pick Norris Cole.
In 2014, the Heat traded No. 26 pick P.J. Hairston and a second-round pick to the Charlotte Hornets for No. 24 pick Shabazz Napier.
So, yes, sweating the small stuff can make a difference, even in the latter stages of the first round.
Granted, forecasting who will be available in the 20s more than two months ahead of the draft is an exercise in randomness, especially in a down draft year.
"What I've heard," an Eastern Conference scout said, "is the pick at 23 or 22 is the same pick at 35. It's top heavy. It's a bad draft."
But it's never a bad draft if you are targeting a specific player and that player is just beyond your reach, therefore requiring a payment premium, as was the case for the Heat with Cole in 2010 or Napier in 2014.
To limit chicanery at Disney, the NBA locked the lottery teams into place based on the March 11 standings, when the league shut down for four months amid the coronavirus pandemic. That removed any incentive for the Washington Wizards to tank (as opposed to their organic losing) or for the Phoenix Suns to risk their lottery seed (with the result a spirited Suns showing at Disney).
But, otherwise, for those outside of the lottery, in a season the league is tightly packed in the middle, there will be games this coming week that will have more of an impact on the Oct. 16 NBA draft than how the playoff seedings will shake out.
So, yes, you can drive a tank through a bubble in Central Florida in August.
