"Gone are the days of superstars regularly hitting unrestricted free agency at the perfect time for the Miami Heat to sign them. Perhaps there will be exceptions to that rule, but the path of a big-name player has changed dramatically in recent years. With extensions and forced trades taking precedence over unrestricted free agency, Heat team president Pat Riley must find a new way to keep his superstar tradition going."
"We speak often in the modern NBA about veteran players increasingly opting to sign extensions rather than test free agency. According to...ESPN's Bobby Marks, 53 players have already signed veteran extensions during the first three summers of the NBA's new Collective Bargaining Agreement. There were 74 such extensions across six seasons in the previous labor deal, per Marks' math, but 44 of those 74 extensions took place during the final two seasons of that deal (2021-22 and 2022-23)."
Unrestricted free agency has become less reliable as players increasingly sign veteran extensions or move via forced trades. Fifty-three players signed veteran extensions during the first three summers of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, compared with 74 such extensions across six seasons of the previous deal, 44 of which occurred in the final two seasons. The Miami Heat can no longer depend on free agency to acquire a superstar. The Heat retain two All-Stars and several quality veterans, plus promising young players, requiring Riley to emphasize trades, development, extensions, and creative roster construction.
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