Miami, FL

3 Reasons Heat Must Go All In On Damian Lillard Trade After Losing Out On Bradley Beal

Published

1 year ago

June 19, 2023

3 Reasons Heat Must Go All In On Damian Lillard Trade After Losing Out On Bradley Beal

The first domino of the NBA offseason has fallen, with Bradley Beal set to head to the Phoenix Suns in a blockbuster trade with the Washington Wizards. With the Miami Heat touted as the other team likely to land the former Wizards star, this may look like their second loss in a week after they went down in the NBA Finals to the Denver Nuggets. But it doesn’t have to be.

As good as Beal is, he’s not Damian Lillard, and the Heat look set to make a major play for the Portland Trail Blazers’ point guard over the coming days and weeks. Lillard hasn’t officially requested a trade out of Portland but the rumor mills have been in overdrive, and the Heat are reportedly confident that he will during the offseason. He’s already suggested Miami would be high on his list of teams he’d like to play for – particularly once they failed to win the championship – meaning the Heat look like one of, if not the, frontrunners to land the 32-year-old.

But should they? Invariably they’ll have to give up plenty, and with Lillard 32 years old and Jimmy Butler 33, it would be very much an ‘all the eggs in one basket’ scenario for the Heat if they bring him in. But while those concerns are valid, Damian Lillard is Damian Lillard. Here are three reasons why the Miami Heat should do all they can to secure his signature this offseason.

1. Damian Lillard is, like, really good

This might seem obvious, but it’s also pretty relevant. Lillard isn’t just a pretty good player who could bring an extra couple of wins with him to Miami – he’s one of the absolute best of the best, a seven-time All-Star and, importantly, someone renowned for his ability to thrive in the most pressure-packed moments. You know who else has that reputation? Jimmy Butler. Put these two together and you’ve got an extremely clutch pairing.

Lillard’s points average has hovered in the high 20s for much of his career, and peaked last year at 32.2 points. His shot range knows no bounds, and with the Heat not a particularly good shooting team – save for an anomalous playoff series aside – that floor-spacing would be welcomed. What’s more, though he’s known more for his scoring than passing, Lillard is also a good playmaker, averaging over seven assists per game in each of his past four seasons. The Heat don’t have a bonafide point guard – Tyler Herro is the closest thing (and whether he would survive a trade for Lillard is far from certain) while in his absence Gabe Vincent was starting in the position in the playoffs.

Lillard is a brilliant player, one of the best in the world, and every team in the league would welcome him with open arms. Add to that the fact that he would complement the Heat’s existing pieces nicely, and it’s easy to understand why they’re reportedly so keen on him.

2. The Miami Heat need another piece

It’s a sometimes overrated idea in the NBA and sports more generally that you need to be a perfect team to win a championship. Every team is flawed, and it’s not always the best team that ends up victorious, even in a seven-game series. The Heat showed as much by beating the Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtics, but against the Denver Nuggets they realistically didn’t look like getting close from pretty early on in that series.

Their undrafted fleet is a whole lot more capable than most gave them credit for, but the likes of Max Strus, Gabe Vincent and co can only do so much. That leaves a whole lot of responsibility on the shoulders of Butler and Bam Adebayo, and as good as they are they’re also overmatched by many other duos in the league.

The Heat were just a solitary series away from winning the championship, and generally in my view if you get that close you’re capable of winning it if things go your way. That may still ring true, but as far as NBA Finals teams go, this Heat side is one which could certainly use a little more juice. With Damian Lillard, Butler and Adebayo, combined with their almost unparalleled ability to be a better whole than the sum of their parts, they would be a great chance to get back to the Finals next season.

3. Butler ain’t getting any younger

Jimmy Butler wasn’t at his absolute best during the latter stages of the playoffs, but early on he showed what Playoffs Jimmy is capable of. He’s the focal point of this team and is still more than capable of putting his teammates on his back, but he’s also going to turn 34 later this year. His isn’t a game which is hugely reliant on athleticism so, hopefully, he still has a few good years left, but it would be understandable to see him begin to wane slightly over the next couple of years.

They need to capitalize while Butler is still in or close to his prime, and the addition of one of the best players in the league sounds like a pretty good way to do that. For Miami, the time is now – Dame Time, that is.

Source link

Click to comment

Miami, FL

NBA draft now with a halftime, with Heat back at it for second round Thursday

Published

53 mins ago

June 26, 2024

Press Room

NBA draft now with a halftime, with Heat back at it for second round Thursday

MIAMI — This time, the NBA draft comes with a halftime, the league for the first time spreading the two rounds over two days.

So Wednesday night the main course, the first 30 selections over the first round at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.

Thursday at 4 p.m at ESPN’s New York studios, the final 28 selections (with picks forfeited due to previous salary-cap violations by the Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix Suns.)

For the Miami Heat and the rest of the league, it means an opportunity for a double exhale. Not only about the 17 hours between the rounds, but teams are now given four minutes in the second round per selection instead of the previous two (there remains a five-minute limit between selections in the first round).

“It’s going to be a lot of digging of information between the two rounds,” said Adam Simon, the Heat’s vice president of basketball operations and assistant general manager, who oversees the team’s draft.

With the Heat entering the draft process slotted at No. 43 overall, the 13th selection of the second round, the break in the draft will mean a reset of the intel process, with teams having played some of their hand in the first round.

“So it’s either going to be a lot of maneuvering or a lot of lying,” Simon said of the chatter during the break, “one or the other.”

As it is, having a second-round pick is somewhat of a Heat anomaly.

The last time the Heat emerged from the second round with a selection was when they traded for the rights to KZ Okpala in 2019. That foray led to an uneven partnership on a three-year contract the Heat eventually dealt for salary-cap relief.

The second round is one that is played by its own rules – numerous rules. Unlike first-round selections, which come with guaranteed contracts, players selected in the second round are not slotted into a specific salary scale. Further, some teams make second-round selections with the intent of signing those picks to two-way contracts, which do not count against the salary cap. In addition, second-round agreements often are made with overseas players to have such selections remain overseas and therefore count neither against next season’s salary cap nor roster limit.

While the Wild West nature of the season round hasn’t changed, what has is the added time for agents to influence the process.

“I anticipate a lot of phone calls between teams and agents, and agents trying to figure out where their players are going to go,” Simon of the break between rounds, with the Heat’s war room set up on the team’s practice court at Kaseya Center.

With the NBA’s rookie scale, the first round is formulaic.

“The second round, there’s the ability to sign players to four-year contracts or two-way contracts or ‘stash,’ you take a foreign player, leave him over,” Simon said. “So I think every agent’s going to have a different agenda, and some are going to want their players to try to get to certain teams.

“They’re going to do what they can to maybe potentially get their player to a team. And then at the same time, there’ll be teams trying to find out from agents where they think their players are going to go and help them to maneuver.”

Recent Heat second-round picks

2024: No. 43 (own selection).

2023: None.

2022: None.

2021: None.

2020: None.

2019: Bol Bol (No. 44, immediately dealt to Denver Nuggets). Traded for No. 32 selection KZ Okpala.

2018: None.

2017: None.

2016: None.

2015: Josh Richardson (No. 40).

Source link

Miami, FL

2025 NCAA Tournament Projections Has Miami As An Eighth Seed; First Alert: June 25, 2024

Published

8 hours ago

June 26, 2024

Press Room

2025 NCAA Tournament Projections Has Miami As An Eighth Seed; First Alert: June 25, 2024

Joe Lunardi’s has released his second early predictions his 2025 NCAA Tournament projections and he has the Hurricanes as an eighth seed.

The Miami Hurricanes missed the tournament last season, after finishing the previous year in the Final Four. That year they lost to eventual champions UConn Huskies and had most of its roster either was drafted in the NBA, graduated, or transfered. This season they have a chance to return with an impressive resume.

The Hurricanes in Lunardi’s first prediction had the Jim Larrañaga lead squad as a sixth seed before dropping them in the recent predictions. The Hurricanes have many expectations to come back after their disappointing season. This could be the chance to get back in toe national light for what they can be.

No games scheduled.

No results.

66 Days.

X(Twitter): @CanesCentralSI

Facebook: CanesCentral on SI

Source link

Miami, FL

Live Updates: Miami Marlins at Kansas City Royals (Game Two)

Published

16 hours ago

June 25, 2024

Press Room

Live Updates: Miami Marlins at Kansas City Royals (Game Two)

On Tuesday at Kauffman Stadium, the Kansas City Royals (43-37) are set to face the Miami Marlins (27-51). With the Royals currently in contention for an AL Wild Card spot, every game holds significant weight as they aim to build on their recent successes against a lower-ranked opponents.

Seth Lugo takes the mound for Kansas City, boasting an impressive 10-2 record with a stellar 2.42 ERA and 87 strikeouts. Lugo’s consistency and dominance on the mound have been instrumental for the Royals this season, providing stability in crucial games.

The Marlins will counter with Yonny Chirinos, who recently joined their roster. Chirinos brings a 0-0 record and a 3.60 ERA with six strikeouts. His role in Miami’s rotation marks an opportunity for him to establish himself and contribute to the Marlins’ efforts to disrupt the Royals’ offense.

BE SURE TO REFRESH YOUR BROWSER FOR THE LATEST UPDATES

(most recent at the top)