The Miami Heat can’t be too happy about their inability to land star point guard Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers.
After being linked to the future Hall of Famer on a never-ending loop over the past few months, Dame headed to the conference rival Milwaukee Bucks in a three-team trade that shakes up the foundation of the Eastern Conference.
Despite the bitterness that comes with losing out on Lillard, we know Heat President Pat Riley isn’t going to just stop chasing after a star to team up with Jimmy Butler.
Various reports indicate that Miami is in on star point guard Jrue Holiday, who was flipped from Milwaukee to Portland in the Lillard blockbuster. He’s firmly on the block and will be sent to another team here soon.
But could the team also be in on former NBA MVP James Harden of the Philadelphia 76ers? According to the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang, that doesn’t seem to be in the cards. Miami is not pursuing a trade for the disgruntled Philadelphia star. It also must be noted that 76ers front office head Daryl Morey likely has no interest in dealing with Riley and Co.
So, where does this leave Miami heading into training camp?
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Miami Heat’s lack of interest in James Harden and more notes
It makes sense that the Heat wouldn’t be interested in Harden. He’s 35 years old and has regressed over the past couple seasons. Harden averaged 21.0 points on 44% shooting this past season. Back in 2020-21 with the Brooklyn Nets, he averaged 24.6 points on 47% shooting. Harden is also slated to become a free agent after the 2023-24 season.
As for chasing after Holiday, he could very well make a ton of sense. The veteran point guard is among the best on-ball defenders in the Association. He’s earned five All-NBA Defensive Team honors throughout his career. That’s the complete antithesis of Harden.
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Holiday can also score and distribute. Last season with Milwaukee saw the two-time All-Star average 19.3 points and 7.4 assists on 48% shooting, including a solid 38% from three-point range. In a vacuum, he’d be a great fit with Butler.
Other potential options for the defending Eastern Conference champions include Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam and star Chicago Bulls wing Zach LaVine.
What we do know is that the Miami Heat are going to be active on the NBA trade front ahead of opening night against the Detroit Pistons on Oct. 25.