Why This Trade Makes Sense For The Heat
Miami made a shocking run to the NBA Finals last season and there is no doubt that they are a team expected to compete once again this year. Led by Jimmy Butler, the Heat were a dominant defensive team and their offense was lethal.
Pat Riley is always looking to add superstar power if he can find a way to do so. Just look back at the way he brought the original “Big Three” together. Not many general managers would be able to bring LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh together in their primes.
Pairing Damian Lillard with Butler would make a ton of sense for the Heat. They would hold on to Bam Adebayo in this trade as well. Giving up Tyler Herro is tough and Duncan Robinson would be missed, but the rest of this deal makes perfect sense.
Moving forward, the Heat would be able to build around Lillard and Butler. Plenty of veteran players would want to sign with Miami to play alongside those two guys. Replacing the depth lost in this trade would not be terribly difficult.
With the trade the way it is, the Heat would still have Goran Dragic, Adebayo, Avery Bradley, Maurice Harkless, Meyers Leonard, and Precious Achiuwa around their superstar duo. They would need to add more depth, but there are still some good pieces there.
This trade may be unlikely to happen, but the Heat shouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger if they had the opportunity to acquire Lillard with this trade package. Jimmy Butler would certainly approve.
