NBA free agency has begun. And Pat Riley has wasted no time building a new-look Heat roster after Miami fell short in the NBA Finals to the Denver Nuggets.
Josh Richardson
The Miami Heat begun free agency by signing Josh Richardson to a two-year deal. Richardson was actually drafted by the Heat in 2015 where he spent four seasons, arguably the best years of his career.
Last season, Richardson played for both the New Orleans Pelicans and San Antonio Spurs, coming off the bench. Despite only averaging 10.1 PPG last year, Richardson was a safety net guard that played great defense when shots weren’t falling. Simply, Richardson is an amazing fit with the Heat. He is familiar with the system, a solid player, helps fill some of the Heat’s holes, and is one of Bam Adebayo’s best friends.
Kevin Love
Kevin Love is re-signing with the Miami Heat, signing a two-year deal, with the second year being an option. The deal starts at $3.7M.
Love was a huge trade deadline pickup for the Heat last season after the Cleveland Cavaliers waived the former All-Star. The 34-year-old averaged only 8.2 PPG and 6.4 RPG, showing signs of decreased play due to age. However, Love was a big part of the Heat’s run to the playoffs. In 41 games with Cleveland, Love only started in 3 games. But in 21 games with the Heat, Love started in 17 games.
While Love is no longer averaging 26.1 PPG (2013) or 15.2 RPG (2010), the five-time All Star is still going to have a huge role next season for the Heat.
Victor Oladipo
The Heat traded former All-Star Victor Oladipo to the Oklahoma City Thunder in return for cap space. The Heat are also sending two second-round draft picks to the Thunder to facilitate the offloading of Oladipo’s contract. So, basically, the Heat are taking nothing back, but a $9.45M trade exception is being created.
Oladipo was once one of the NBA’s best players, but injuries put an end to that narrative. The former second overall pick performs when healthy. But being healthy has been the problem; and it’s been a big problem because Dipo spends more time off the floor than on the floor on gamedays.
Oladipo played for the Thunder back in 2016, and that year he took the NBA by storm. In 67 games, Oladipo averaged 33.2 MPG, 15.9 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.6 AST, and 1.2 STL.
Thomas Bryant
Thomas Bryant has agreed on a two-year, $5.4 million deal with the Miami Heat. The 25-year-old will likely be behind Bam Adebayo on the depth chart, serving as Miami’s new backup center. Bryant, who stands at 6-10, is a force in the paint, but he also has range. Bryant is a career 36.6% shooter on threes (118 for 322).
In 41 games with the Lakers last season, Bryant averaged 12 PPG and 7 RPG in 21 MPG. Bryant is still a little raw defensively, but is a solid offensive rebounder and has good touch within 10 feet of the basket. Being only 25 years old, the Heat can really build Bryant behind Bam. No matter what happens, Bryant’s good screening and rim running will help the Heat tremendously when Bam checks out of the game.
Damian Lillard
Damian Lillard. You’ve definitely heard that name a lot, especially if you are in Miami. The Heat have been chasing this guy for a while, but this is the closest they have been to actually pulling him in.
Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Lillard has requested a trade and the Portland Trail Blazers are expected to work to accommodate him. Per Shams Charania, Lillard has informed Portland that he wants a trade specifically to the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat.
Lillard was named to the NBA’s 75th anniversary team and is one of the NBA’s best shooters. Dame is simply that guy; that is why people call him “Dame Time” (he is clutch).
Excluding Steph Curry, Lillard is the NBA’s best three point shooter, pulling up from anywhere on the court. Being a lights out shooter from deep results in a ton of points. That’s why Lillard became the first player in NBA history to score 70 points in under 40 minutes.
Without a doubt, if the Heat sign Lillard, they are an NBA Finals contender and arguably the best team in the NBA. A big three consisting of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Damian Lillard would be unstoppable.
But the big question: how can the Heat acquire Lillard?
It isn’t easy to trade for a player that is coming off a season averaging 32.2 PPG. But the Heat have the pieces to satisfy Portland, at least that’s what we think.
Tyler Herro’s name has come up in every trade conversation. Duncan Robinson has also been mentioned as well as Miami’s draft picks. It comes down to what the Heat want to give up and what the Trail Blazers want. There have been rumors that Portland wants to find a third team for Tyler Herro if a trade does go down. The Heat reportedly are keeping undrafted star Caleb Martin out of any Damian Lillard trade scenarios. Portland center Jusuf Nurkic could also be packaged in a deal. There’s just so much talk, but little confirmation.
Can Pat Riley finally complete a trade that sends Damian Lillard to the reigning Eastern Conference Champs?
We shall see what happens and how it goes down.