NBA Rumors: A popular NBA analyst predicts the Miami Heat may revisit previous trade efforts for Damian Lillard.
The Miami Heat may have the NBA Playoffs each of the last six seasons. However, for the first time in a while, this is a team that could have some troubling waters ahead. The Heat has a theoretically talented roster. However, there are big question marks about the team heading into this season.
At the top, you have to wonder about Jimmy Butler's durability. Jimmy missed 22 regular season games last year and all of the playoffs. Jimmy has not played more than 64 regular season games in a year since the 2016-17 season. At 35 years old, there's a good chance the Heat have seen the best version of Jimmy. The same could be said about Terry Rozier and Tyler Herro, who both missed extended time last season due to injuries. And for them too, it's not even just about the durability issues.
There's a schematic fit issues that they never seemed to work through even when they were healthy last season. Aside from Bam Adebayo, there are very few certainties for the Heat heading into the start of the season. At this point, if the Heat wants to be considered a contender in the Eastern Conference, an in-season trade would have to come to fruition.
While that could be difficult to envision, one NBA analyst believes that there could be one scenario that could help the Heat make a theoretical championship leap - and it involves pursuing an old, but familiar, trade target.
In the words of The Ringer's Bill Simmons, he would "bet" that the Heat would circle back to previous trade interest in Lillard if the Bucks (and/or Heat) gets off to a slow start to the season.
How desperate are the Miami Heat to make a splash trade?
If the Heat does get off to a slow start, I wonder how desperate they'd be to make a trade. I wouldn't doubt the Heat to be interested in a potential Lillard trade but I can't envision how that would come to fruition without disaster striking the Bucks. And I just can't see how that happens.
But even Lillard aside, is the Heat more likely to make a splash buyer move at the trade deadline than a seller one? With the way Miami's contracts line up, specifically that of Jimmy, an argument could be made that it would make more sense for the Heat to try and retool on the fly rather than add to the team in a potentially desperate attempt.
At this point, especially with how inactive they were this offseason, it's almost impossible to predict how the Heat will operate this season. And if the wheels do begin to fall off, all bets are off. Could the Heat theoretically look to make a win-now move at some point this season? Absolutely. It simply may not be the wisest of moves, however.