No team in the NBA playoffs was as resilient or determined as the Miami Heat, with Jimmy Butler and company seeming
like a team possessed and ready to prove their worth in the postseason going from the Play-in Tournament to the NBA
Finals.
Unfortunately, the Heat fell short against a very good Denver Nuggets squad in the Finals led by arguably the best player in
the league in two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic.
With the Heat falling short last season, Pat Riley and company have their work cut out for them to build a team that can get
to the next level, and they have an opportunity to do that with superstar guard Damian Lillard wanting to play in Miami.
Although Lillard wants to end up with the Heat before next season, it’s not guaranteed Miami will be able to get a deal done
with the Portland Trail Blazers, even if a third or fourth team gets involved.
That said, there’s a chance Miami will look similar to last year’s squad minus the free-agent departures of Gabe Vincent and
Max Strus, but Zach Lowe of ESPN thinks this team will be just fine if unable to bring in Lillard, via NBA on ESPN
At this point, it seems inevitable that Lillard will land in Miami before the start of the 2023-24 NBA season, which would
instantly make the Heat the team to beat in the Eastern Conference or at least drastically increase their chances of winning it
all.
However, with “Heat culture” turning out to be a real thing with head coach Erik Spoelstra at the helm and Riley calling the
shots in the front office, Miami is still in a good place and will be relevant for years to come in the Butler era.
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Blazers’ Message to Heat: ‘Make Your Best Offer’
The Portland Trail Blazers and Miami Heat are at an impasse when it comes to making a trade regarding Damian Lillard.
With training camp still two months away, there is no rush in trading Lillard, but conversations can still take place, even if
it’s few and far between.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania appeared on “The Rally” to offer his perspective on the trade.
“What I’m told Portland has told Miami is this: Make your best offer to us,” Charania said.
Lillard asked to be traded by the Blazers at the beginning of the month, shortly after the start of free agency. Dame doesn’t
have a no-trade clause, but his agent Aaron Goodwin has told teams that he prefers a trade to the Heat and that is the only
team he is interested in going to.
The Blazers could trade him to any of the other 28 teams or keep him on the roster anyway, but there’s been rumors that
Lillard wouldn’t report if that were the case.
The Heat has gained a decent amount of leverage given all that has happened in the past two weeks, but the Blazers also
have the option to simply not trade him and keep him until the end of his contract, several years down the line.
It appears that a trade between the two sides is still the likeliest outcome for this conundrum, but the two sides are currently
far apart on a deal because the Blazers do not want a package centered around Tyler Herro, another guard to team up with
their young core featuring Anfernee Simons, Shaedon Sharpe and No. 3 overall pick Scoot Henderson.
The Heat can’t exactly make a deal without Herro, so once Miami finds a new home for him in a three-team trade or a
separate transaction, then Pat Riley may be able to give the Blazers his true “best offer.”
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