Waiting for other stars (i.e. Damian Lillard) could backfire on the team
I don’t think it’s a big surprise that the one superstar that many around the league (including the Miami Heat) are waiting to hit the trade market is Damian Lillard. However, there’s no guarantee that he will. This is something that could backfire on the Heat if they’re not careful. As we saw last offseason, the Heat put all their eggs in the Kevin Durant basket. He didn’t end up being traded during the offseason and even when he was moved at the NBA Trade Deadline, Miami fell short in that pursuit.
Even though it ended up working out fine for the Heat in the long run, who knows how their season would’ve ended had they made an addition or two during the offseason. The Heat can’t make that same mistake this summer in waiting for a Lillard trade demand that may or may not happen.
I think the Heat has learned recently that if there’s a star to be had, you get them. You can worry about money, fit, etc. later. That’s exactly what Miami would be doing with Beal, especially if he would come at a fraction of the price that a trade for Lillard would be.