The Miami Heat are slipping a little bit in the standings in the Eastern Conference as they have lost six of their last nine games. The road ahead isn’t going to get any easier, as they are going to be without NBA All-Star center Bam Adebayo for the foreseeable future.
Adebayo tore the UCL in his thumb in the game against the Denver Nuggets last week. It will require surgery to fix and he is going to be sidelined indefinitely. It is a huge blow to the Heat as Adebayo is an integral part of their success on both ends of the court.
Possibly looking for help from outside the organization, an intriguing name could be made available sooner than later; Damian Lillard. While Lillard isn’t a center to replace Adebayo, he is an All-NBA performer that the Heat will always check into acquiring.
Miami was one of the landing spots mentioned for Lillard during the offseason when his name began popping up in trade rumors. Building a competitive package for him would have been a challenge, but Pat Riley has shown that he will do whatever it takes to land a player he believes will help put the Heat in a better position to win a championship.
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Since then, the Miami Heat have acquired a new point guard in Kyle Lowry. Lowry was acquired from the Toronto Raptors via sign-and-trade in a move that cost Miami a second-round pick as they were hit with tampering charges.
Lowry has had some struggles at the onset of his Heat career, as he is averaging his fewest points per game since the 2012-13 season. Could Miami consider trading him should Damian Lillard become available? Unlikely, according to Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel.
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Winderman essentially said that Lowry would be untouchable in Lillard trade talks, as he was the player that Jimmy Butler wanted to team up with. Miami will not be the market in which Lillard lands should he be traded at all.
It makes sense for Miami, as they do not have assets they want to part with to make a competitive offer for Damian Lillard. There is no draft capital to speak of, and unless they include Adebayo and or Tyler Herro, the Portland Trail Blazers likely aren’t coming to the negotiating table.
