Miami prepared to make runs at Lillard, Kawhi, Lowry and others

We have talked about Miami wanting to add a third All-Star talent to their roster, but who could they possibly be looking to target? Well, the Heat are not afraid of going after the “big fish,” and they are prepared to target guys like Damian Lillard, Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry this offseason. 

Obviously they will be looking to acquire only one of these guys, but in doing so, the Heat could really propel themselves back into the championship conversation in the Eastern Conference. Right now in the East, you have the 76ers, the Nets and the Bucks and then everybody else. 

Nothing about this Heat team really stands out right now, which is why they are a middle-of-the-pack team in the Eastern Conference and their run to the NBA Finals in 2020 is looking more and more like a “fluke.” They were playing great basketball at the time and obviously looked like the best team in the Eastern Conference in the NBA Bubble, but the Heat are really missing that key contributor in their rotations. 

Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo are great, All-Star-level players, but neither of these guys really seem like #1 superstars that can lead a team to a title. Butler can maybe be this kind of player, but Adebayo is not a #2 option on a championship team, he is more like Chris Bosh when he was a member of the “Big 3.” Bosh was still a great player in Miami, but he was not looked at the same as LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. 

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This is why the Heat will be looking at guys like Lillard, Leonard and Lowry this offseason, because one of these “L’s” can help the Heat win a championship. The status of Damian Lillard is very up-in-the-air right now and he seems to be the best player available in trade talks this offseason. 

The Trail Blazers may very well hold onto their superstar guard, but Dame may want out of his current situation. After all of the backlash Portland received during their coaching search and then hiring Chauncey Billups, as well as their inability to improve every year in the postseason, things may start to boil over for Damian Lillard, which is why he could “jump ship” and sail to South Beach. 

Portland’s chances of winning a championship seem very minimal, especially since they are a smaller market team. Now, I am not saying that small market teams cannot win a championship because both the Bucks and Suns are competing for one now, but the chances of the Blazers adding the talent necessary to win a title is very low at the moment. 

READ MORE: Predictions for Latest NBA Trade Rumors: Lillard, LaVine, Simmons, Sexton

Given that they could use an upgrade at the point guard position and Lillard could play very well next to both Butler and Adebayo, the Heat could be very willing to trade whatever it takes to get Damian Lillard, but they may not have the assets to do so. 

Kawhi Leonard is another name to keep an eye on this offseason not necessarily in trade talks, but free agency wise. The 2x Finals MVP has a $36M player option that he could very well opt out of, resulting in him becoming an unrestricted free agent. Who knows if this would mean that Leonard would want to leave Los Angeles though, as you never seem to know what Kawhi is actually thinking until he acts on something! 

If he does opt out of his player option though and becomes a free agent, the Miami Heat are interested in making a “serious push” for the All-Star forward, according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. There are a lot of unknowns when it comes to Kawhi Leonard, especially about his mysterious knee injury right now. 

In Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Utah Jazz, Kawhi Leonard left the court late in the fourth quarter with some kind of right knee injury and did not play the rest of the postseason for the Clippers.

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Some reporters were saying that Leonard suffered a major knee injury while others were downplaying his injury, stating that it was just a severe sprain, but who knows what actually happened to Kawhi’s knee other than him, the Clippers medical personnel and Leonard’s camp. 

Putting all of their chips on landing Kawhi Leoanrd in free agency this offseason does not necessarily seem that smart for the Heat as of right now, but they should definitely be monitoring his situation in Los Angeles. If Leonard gives any indications that he’s unhappy with the Clippers, then there is no reason why Miami should not pursue him. 

The third possible All-Star target of the Miami Heat this offseason is Kyle Lowry, a guard that they tried to acquire at the trade deadline this year. The Heat, along with the 76ers, Lakers and Clippers, were trying to pry Kyle Lowry away from the Toronto Raptors at the trade deadline, but Toronto decided last-minute to hold onto their veteran point guard. 

Miami was also unwilling to part ways with Tyler Herro, per reports, which is one of the main reasons why they were unable to land Lowry during the 2020-21 season and had to settle with Victor Oladipo instead. However, Kyle Lowry is now an unrestricted free agent and fair game for anybody to pursue him. 

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A sign-and-trade is on the table for Lowry and the Heat could offer up guys like Goran Dragic, Tyler Herro and even Precious Achiuwa in a trade package to try and get Lowry from the Raptors, but they could also potentially look to sign him outright. 

If Miami was to exercise the team options on Goran Dragic and Andre Iguodala, they could free up over $30M in cap space, allowing them to potentially go “all-in” on Kyle Lowry and sign him to a two or three-year deal. The 35-year-old guard is nearing the end of his career, but he can still contribute at a high-level and be the final piece of the Heat’s championship puzzle. 

There are a lot of options for the Miami Heat this offseason both on the trade market and in free agency, but all of these moves could cost them a ton of money and future value. Whether or not Miami will be able to land one of these All-Stars remains a key question of the NBA offseason, but they seem to be willing to sacrifice their future in order to win now.