Does this trade make sense for the Miami Heat?
The Miami Heat are reportedly “extremely high” on the idea of adding Damian Lillard to their team and are willing to offer up some of their young talents in order to obtain him, but there has been no word on whether or not they would part ways with Bam Adebayo.
Since they drafted him 14th overall in 2017, Bam Adebayo has evolved into much more than a big guy that can be on the receiving ends of lobs. Adebayo was an All-Star last season and has turned himself into one of the best two-way centers in the NBA, which is why he is so valuable.
If Miami was to include him in a trade package for Damian Lillard, then they would absolutely be considered to be front-runners to acquire the All-Star guard, but at what cost? Does adding Lillard to this team truly make the Miami Heat a better team if they lose Adebayo’s presence in the paint?
Immediately, the quick answer is no, this trade would not make the Miami Heat better than they are right now, but do not forget that they have a way to free up a ton of cap space to add a third All-Star talent to their team to potentially pair with Lillard and Butler.
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Goran Dragic and Andre Iguodala have team options for the 2021-22 season that add up to about $34.4M in salaries, which would give the Heat plenty of cap room to potentially pursue another big name in free agency. The frontcourt options in free agency this year are not that ideal in terms of pure talent, but guys like DeMar DeRozan, John Collins and even someone like Kawhi Leonard could become available.
Trading for Lillard immediately makes the Heat a true contender in the Eastern Conference and an attractive destination for other All-Star free agents. They could definitely be in play for DeRozan, but I would truly believe that the Heat would want to add Kawhi Leonard if they were to trade for Lillard.
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This is a lot to think about ahead of time with no commitments, but there is a real possibility that Leonard could opt out of his contract this offseason, resulting in the Heat being prime contenders to sign him. A lot needs to happen first in order for Miami to be thinking about this scenario, but a team of Lillard, Butler and Leonard would be a dream come true for the Heat.
At the end of the day, trading for Damian Lillard, no matter the cost, is probably the right move for the Miami Heat. This opens up the door to add plenty of other All-Star talents to their roster and gives them the best chance to possibly win a championship in the next few years.
