Giannis, Heat, Lillard and the vortex of NBA

What exactly happened to living in the moment? Now, even Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t living there anymore.

And that could mean — perhaps even should mean — another Miami Heat waiting game.

If it sounds familiar, it should.

During the 2020 offseason, one compacted by the pandemic, which had the Heat playing the NBA Finals into mid-October, the Heat found themselves in a delicate dance with emerging center Bam Adebayo.

At the time, the thought was that Antetokounmpo could potentially shake free the following summer in free agency. Also at the time, by delaying an Adebayo extension, the Heat potentially could have created salary-cap space to sign both Adebayo and Antetokounmpo in the 2021 offseason.

The Heat briefly attempted a waiting game, at the cost of losing valued playoff contributor Jae Crowder to the Phoenix Suns in free agency.

Eventually, perhaps made aware of the…