Does Justise Winslow have a 'franchise-player' ceiling?

How important is it now for Justise Winslow to become a franchise player for the Heat? -- Ken, Hollywood.

There is a lot more to the equation than simply telling a player, "OK ,Dwyane Wade is gone. You're next up. You're now our franchise player." And I'm also not sure there is such a thing as a 20-year-old franchise player, no matter if it is Kobe Bryant, LeBron James or anyone else that age. Being a franchise player means being a player who leads on the court, in the box score and in the locker room. Justise remains an unfinished product. And while Pat Riley says that it's important to look past the blemishes, I'm not sure you can be a franchise player without a reliable outside shot, something even Magic Johnson recognized during his climb to such status. Now, if you're asking whether Justise has the potential to become a franchise player, I think the Celtics answered that question at the 2015 NBA draft, when they were willing to shower picks on the Heat for Winslow. For now, I believe that is why the Heat need the likes of Goran Dragic and other veterans alongside, to help Justise appreciate what he can become and how much still needs to be accomplished to get there. The shame is that players such as Wade and Luol Deng would have been the perfect tutors.

Ira, do you think Pat Riley will put more emphasis on keeping the team's future first-round draft picks? Now that the Heat are an entirely different team and possibly in rebuild mode, those two Phoenix first-round picks really hurt. -- Rodney, Sarasota.

I would like to say yes. But, at the same time, this is Pat Riley we're talking about. And while those two picks due to the Suns essentially prevent the Heat from trading a first-round pick prior to 2023, it doesn't prevent Riley from selecting for another team. I believe the Heat will value their first-round pick in 2017, if only because of the need to add low-cost talent while maximizing salary-cap space. But I would think it's safe to say that Pat Riley, if he endures as Heat president, hasn't traded away his last draft pick.