The Miami Heat are one of the biggest losers of the NBA offseason. They entered it after a great season, advancing to the NBA Finals against the Denver Nuggets, but the offseason has not been kind to them.
Two key players from that NBA Finals run, Gabe Vincent and Max Strus, departed in free agency. All offseason, the team has been gearing up to replace them with a blockbuster trade, with Portland Trail Blazers star point guard Damian Lillard being their main focus.
Alas, that isn’t happening either. Lillard was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday as part of a three-team trade that included the Phoenix Suns. That was disappointing news for the Heat and their fans, as they have been hoping for a Lillard deal for months.
What makes it even worse is the package that the Trail Blazers accepted. Portland received Jrue Holiday, a 2029 first-round pick, and two pick swaps from the Bucks. They also landed Deandre Ayton from the Suns.
Based on reports from Sham Charania, the Heat was offering what could be argued as a much stronger trade package. They reportedly made Tyler Herro, Nikola Jovic, three first-round picks, first-round pick swaps, and multiple second-round picks available in negotiations for Lillard. But Portland’s front office didn’t want to engage in a deal.
It can certainly be argued that the Trail Blazers didn’t maximize their potential return in a deal. They will be toeing that line of not good enough to contend but being too good to expect to land a top pick in the draft realistically. That is purgatory in the NBA.
Many people will also say that the Trail Blazers negotiated in bad faith, not wanting to send Lillard to the team he and his representation seemingly attempted to strong-arm them into doing. This isn’t the first time a front office has possibly negotiated in bad faith.
The New York Knicks thought they had Donovan Mitchell in a trade from the Utah Jazz during the 2022 offseason to see him get traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. That didn’t hurt New York, as they eliminated Mitchell and the Cavaliers in the first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs. The Heat hope they can deliver a similar fate to Lillard and his new Bucks team.
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