Q: Ira, how real is this Orlando threat, now that they’ve hired a coach who worked well with Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee? That’s all we’ve been hearing now. – Steve.

A: This what happens when the passive-aggressive gameplan is in play, when neither the Bucks nor Giannis Antetokounmpo are publicly discussing trade parameters. Instead, you get ample connecting of the dots, including the Magic bringing in former Bucks assistant Sean Sweeney as their coach. And, yes, Orlando has prime winter weather, no state income tax and Disney (of which Giannis is said to be a big fan). But it ultimately comes down to more than that. It comes down to whether the Magic are ready to cash out Paolo Banchero for a player eight years older. And with the Magic with limited draft capital because of last year’s trade for Desmond Bane, it comes down to whether the Bucks would entertain a Magic bid with limited draft capital. A case could be made of Paolo being the best player the Bucks could acquire in the Giannis trade (including the age factor), so it comes down to the direction the Bucks choose to chart in a potential Giannis move. But it starts with the Magic, and not their coach, but rather their approach with Paolo.

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Q: Hi, Ira. I’ve got a Plan C question for you. Let’s assume the Miami Heat decide to run it back, banking on the expected improvement of their young players. That means another year of Kel’el Ware getting stronger, Kasparas Jakucionis having more experience, Jaime Jaquez Jr. building on his sixth-man candidacy, a resurgence by Nikola Jovic, who can’t possibly be as bad as he showed last season, and maybe the 13th pick. How much more competitive do you think they could be and, conversely, if they keep these young players and the future picks, from an asset situation standpoint, how much more competitive could their packages be for a young, disgruntled, superstar midseason or next summer? – Eddie.

A: Look, in a perfect world, it all could turn out perfectly. But what are the odds of that? Plus, the longer you hold on to developmental projects, the greater the chance that some regress while others progress. Could everything go right? Sure. But, as Jovic showed after getting his extension last summer, plenty can also go wrong. From a “package” standpoint, this appears to be as prime a time for the Heat to make a move as in recent years. The real problem is the lack of tradeable sizable salaries, with Terry Rozier gone, Norman Powell a free agent and Andrew Wiggins controlling his situation with a player option. It is why it likely could have been a simple equation this past February, at that trading deadline. Instead, as they often do, the Heat chose to live in the moment. At the moment, the only large salary the Heat can package would be Tyler Herro’s (assuming the party line stands with Bam Adebayo). And having only one large tradeable salary means the ability to move only in a single direction,

Q: If somehow the Heat are able to land Giannis Antetokounmpo, do you think they will be able to attract complimentary players at a discount as they did when they acquired LeBron James?  – Bob, Davie.

A: For all the questions about the Heat’s roster building when it comes to stars and failed chases, the constants have been creating talent through their developmental pipeline and luring complementary veteran components. The Heat still have most of the same developmental staff, so that shouldn’t change. And the Heat still are located in Miami, with no state income talent, so the luring of complementary components likely shouldn’t change, either.