he NBA trading deadline is not a moment in time that suddenly arrives. It involves weeks, months, sometimes years of deliberations.

It is why the Heat took particularly care in advance of 2010 free agency, when Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and LeBron James were signed together, not do anything to get in the way of that salary-cap possibility.

And now, with a huge salary-cap spike coming in the 2016 offseason, there again likely will be prudence practiced throughout the NBA in advance of Thursday's 3 p.m. deadline.

For the Heat, there are three time frames, in particular to consider.

— The next two months: Is this Heat team, or can this Heat team become, a 2016 championship contender?

— July: Can 2016 free agency be transformative for a team that will be closer to the upcoming salary cap than most in the NBA?

— The great beyond: Is there a long-term plan to keep the Heat as relevant as it has been since 2004, save for the occasional blip along the way?

When it comes to the moment, there is surprising candor within the locker room, a void so obvious that it would be disingenuous for the players to ignore.

"You always look at your team and say, 'Man, we need more shooting,' " forward Chris Bosh said. "You never have everything. Yeah, we could use more shooting."

In recent games the double- and triple-teams have been particularly brazen against Bosh. More and more, opponents are packing the paint against the Heat and essentially saying, "Go ahead."

The simplicity could be going after the likes of Steve Novak, Anthony Morrow, Omri Casspi or Wayne Ellington. But Heat coach Erik Spoelstra rarely has played shooter-only types, his usage (or lack thereof) of James Jones a prime example.

Anything bigger, a trade for more complete shooters, would involve altering a core that has the Heat within reach of the No. 3 seed in the East at the All-Star break.

The wildcard is Hassan Whiteside, and where the patience level stands. A trade involving Whiteside could be as simple as sending him out as a loaner center to a team looking for a short-term rental, perhaps someone like the Memphis Grizzlies, who have just lost Marc Gasol for the season. Whiteside and minimal filler such as Chris Andersen might get you Courtney Lee. Whiteside and a bit more salary could create the cap math for Jeff Green. Both Lee and Green are on expiring contracts.

And that matters when it comes to the second question, about whether the Heat would be willing to take on more salary on their books for 2016-17, which would limit the nest egg potentially to be spread between Whiteside, Dwyane Wade and an outside free agent. Any additional money taken on, such as the additional years on the contracts of Casspi or Ellington, would compromise that total (unless perhaps Josh McRoberts is sent out in such a deal).

And then there is the third element of the equation, the one Pat Riley downplayed in his television interview, when he said, "I'm getting too old to say, 'I want to win down the road.' I want to win now. That's what this is all about."

As it is, the Heat have dealt first-round picks all the way out to 2021, when an unprotected pick is due to the Phoenix Suns from last year's deadline Goran Dragic trade. That pick will be forwarded when Riley is 76.

Beyond that, because of the one first-rounder due the Philadelphia 76ers and the two due to the Suns (all of which could wind up as lottery picks), the Heat, by NBA rule, are not allow to deal any future first round picks until after this year's draft.

Because of such limitations, it would appear that building for the future for the Heat (if such a concept is considered) would be building around Justise Winslow and Hassan Whiteside. Yet both also have been mentioned in trade speculation.

So what happens Thursday? It all will depend on whether the Heat are living in the moment, salivating about 2016 free agency, or taking a long view that conflicts with Riley's stated vision.

"I will not get into that," Wade said when asked about his thoughts for the Heat at the deadline. "I just hope I'm here after the break. That's all I can ask for."

IN THE LANE

ON WHITESIDE: There is plenty of conjecture about Hassan Whiteside as Thursday's 3 p.m. NBA trading deadline approaches, and plenty of truths. There is a sense inside the organization that a parting might be best, while Whiteside's circle is not expecting a deal. The view here? Exhale. Let it play out over these final two months of the regular season. Why? Because it will give a better read into whether the Heat's veterans are willing to foster growth and whether the coaching staff can maximize the possibilities of untamed youth. Why? Because when something falls out of the sky one year, you don't kick it to the curb the next. Why? Because who is to say you will do any better in free agency with a class that might be top heavy but is not particularly deep? These next two months should be as much a referendum on Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and Erik Spoelstra and their handling of Whiteside, as it should be about Hassan himself. If there are irreconcilable differences, at least you tried. All the while, you at least getting a read on the patience of Wade, Bosh and Spoelstra going forward, for when the next imperfect prospect might arrive.

AND WADE SAYS: Among the topics Wade was asked to discuss during his All-Star interview with NBA TV was the dynamic of playing alongside Whiteside. It opened a window into what the Heat expect compared to what Whiteside might want. "At times," Wade said to the panel that included former Heat guard Steve Smith, "you need that big center. You need that guy that protects that rim, that goes up and you say, 'Listen, get me 20 rebounds tonight Big Fella,' someone to set these screens to get me to the basket. You need that guy sometimes, too. So you look at Golden State, they have that in [Andrew] Bogut. He's a guy who people forget he can score the basketball. He just decided to morph his game into what his team needs. And I think that's what we're trying to build with Hassan, is to make sure that he morphs his game into what our team needs. And it's not saying, 'Hey, we don't want to just throw you the ball like we used to do with Shaq.' It's a different time. It's a different game and era, so let's adjust to it." And if you're Hassan Whiteside and you can select the team of your choice in free agency, you say?

THE BIG REASON: For all the debate about the Heat's' decision to retire Shaquille O'Neal's No. 32 next season, it is important to note that before Shaq had arrived in the 2004 offseason, the Heat were curtaining off their balconies to reduce seating from 19,600 to 16,500. Now, even at the higher capacity, the Heat have a run of 273 consecutive sellouts. If the retiring of Shaq's jersey ultimately is about marketing, so, too, was much of O'Neal's impact on the franchise going forward and how it changed the business model for Micky Arison and Pat Riley. "I think of all the building blocks that Micky and Pat put in place and all the great Heat teams that couldn't get over the hump, and then we brought in Shaq and it really felt that it was larger than life," coach Erik Spoelstra said. "And it felt like the Heat have continued with that kind of mentality. So he had a great impact on the organization."

NUMBER

2. Blocked shots from 300 with Heat by Hassan Whiteside in his 93 games with the team. The fastest Heat player to 300 blocks was Alonzo Mourning, who did it in 108 games. Seven Heat players have already reached 300 for their careers (in order: Mourning, Dwyane Wade, Rony Seikaly, Joel Anthony, Shaquille O'Neal, P.J. Brown and Chris Bosh).