At Jimmy Butler's Miami Heat introductory press conference in 2019, Pat Riley was already being asked about the next move.

Then came this past February's trade deadline, when the Heat were heavily connected to Kyle Lowry, for whom Toronto was trying to find a championship-contending destination while also guarding against losing Lowry for nothing as an impending free agent.

Word was the Raptors wanted at least one of Duncan Robinson or Tyler Herro, and Miami wouldn't budge knowing it had a good chance to get Lowry in the summer without having to give up one of its two most prized young players?

Now they still have Herro and Robinson, the latter of whom they just extended on five-year, $90 million deal, which represents the largest contract ever awarded to an undrafted player.

The Heat already made the Finals, and perhaps Gallinari, or certainly Paul, or maybe even Westbrook, could've put them over the top against the Lakers in the bubble.

Paul got the Phoenix Suns to the Finals, and the Milwaukee Bucks, whom the Heat beat in 2020 before being swept  in the first round this season, won it all

Would moving for Lowry at the deadline at the expense of Herro or Robinson have made the difference in Miami possibly getting past Milwaukee, or ending up with a better first-round matchup via a higher seed, and potentially making another late run

In that particular case, the Heat certainly did the right thing in retaining Robinson and Herro while still landing Lowry anyway

Mike Conley got three years and $72.5 million from the Utah Jazz, taking him through his age-36 season

The Heat, meanwhile, handed Lowry a three-year, $90 million deal that will take him through his age-38 season

It's likely to happen more gradually than that, but in the particular case of the Heat, it would seem to be imperative that they maximize the front end of that deal before Lowry potentially becomes a salary-cap-clogging, aging All-Star who can no longer factor heavily into a championship formula

Butler, by the way, will be 32 by the start of next season, and Miami just gave him a reported four-year, $184 million extension

The Heat were patient and wound up with Lowry, but the question is: Did they wait too long

Assuming health, there are some monster teams out there for Miami to contend with that it potentially could've avoided these past two years had the Heat been ready to win a title earlier.