Bam Adebayo

Heat Notes: Slow Start, Injuries, Adebayo, Tournament

November 2nd, 2023 at 9:00am CST by Arthur Hill

After reaching the NBA Finals last season, the Heat have stumbled out of the gate, dropping four of their first five games. The team let an opportunity slip away Wednesday night, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald, squandering a 15-point lead midway through the third quarter in a home loss to the Nets, who were playing without three starters.

Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler combined for 71 points, but Miami only got 34 more from the other six players that coach Erik Spoelstra used. The Heat committed a season-high 18 turnovers, which led to 25 points for Brooklyn. At 1-4, the team is off to its worst start in 15 years, and the players are hoping to get control of the situation before it becomes urgent.

“We don’t want to dig this hole too deep,” Adebayo said. “So that’s the concern because the season starts going like this, then obviously you get to the (trade) deadline and you don’t know what’s going to happen. That’s the concern because we got a great group of guys, we just got to figure it out.”

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Haywood Highsmith was able to play Wednesday after missing the first four games with a knee issue, but injuries continue to be a problem, Chiang adds. Caleb Martin sat out his fourth straight game with pain in his left knee and Kevin Love missed the contest with a left shoulder contusion as the Heat haven’t had a fully healthy rotation yet this season. “I’m not going to talk about anybody’s injuries anymore,” Spoelstra told reporters before Wednesday’s game. “If anybody is hurt, if they’re not available, all they have to do is focus on being available. That’s it. I’m not talking about any injuries or who’s in or who’s out. I know who’s playing tonight. That’s all I’m focused on.”
Udonis Haslem spent the past few seasons preparing Adebayo for the responsibilities of taking over as team captain before passing along that title when he retired, Chiang states in another story. “I think the only change is it’s official,” Adebayo said. “It was kind of like unwritten. Now it’s stamped. It comes with a whole bunch of responsibility, but also a great amount of opportunity. The biggest thing for me as a captain is being able to lead this team and get us over this hump and get us to a championship.”
Friday’s game against the Wizards will mark the start of the in-season tournament, notes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Nikola Jovic has played in similar events in Europe, and he hopes it eventually produces the same atmosphere in the NBA. “Those are really big,” Jovic said. “People really compete for that. It means a lot. But this is a little different. I hope it’s going to translate here. The only thing is, it’s going to feel like a regular season game, it’s just going to have a different court and it’s going to be called something different.”

Bucks Notes: Lillard, Herro, G League Invites

October 30th, 2023 at 12:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Damian Lillard didn’t get his wish to be traded to Miami this summer and he doesn’t want that to be a distraction as his Bucks prepare to face the Heat tonight, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Miami was Lillard’s first choice when he asked the Trail Blazers for a trade in July, but despite weeks of rumors, the teams were never able to get close to a deal. Now that he’s in Milwaukee, Lillard wants to move past any connection with the Heat.

“I’m not going into (Monday) like, ‘This is the team I was supposed to be playing for,’” Lillard said. “None of that. I know Jimmy (Butler), I know Bam (Adebayo). We’re cool. But I play for the Bucks and I’m not going into it like that’s my former team or we were tied in or nothing like that. It’s just another game.”

Lillard also addressed reports that Adebayo was encouraging him to push for a deal to Miami. Although they became friends during their time with Team USA during the Olympics in 2021, Lillard said Adebayo wasn’t very involved in the process.

“I think on the outside, people made more of it than what was actually taking place,” Lillard said. “It’s not like I was calling him every day or nothing like that. I said what I needed to say to the team that I was on at that time and I went on about my time. I did my training, I spent time with kids and that was it. I’m telling you the real when I say it’s not that deep. Bam was my boy before I asked for a trade, he still is and that was the extent of it.”

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Heat guard Tyler Herro has “a couple different reasons” to look forward to tonight’s game, Chiang adds in a separate story. Playing in Milwaukee means a homecoming for Herro, but he’s also eager to face Lillard after having his name mentioned in trade rumors all summer. “I’ve never spoken to him,” Herro said. “I probably won’t (talk to him on Monday). We’ll see what happens. I respect his game, for sure. There’s no hate toward him at all. He’s a great player. I’ve been watching him my whole life. So I’m excited to continue to compete against the best.”
The Bucks were sharp on Thursday in Lillard’s first regular season game with Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the results looked much different in Sunday’s loss to the Hawks, observes Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Lillard shot just 2-of-12 from the field and committed six turnovers by halftime as the offense appeared out of sorts.
Wenyen Gabriel, Alex Antetokounmpo and Glenn Robinson III are among the players waived before the start of the season who received invitations to join the Wisconsin Herd, tweets Jim Owczarski of The Journal-Sentinel. Drew Timme and Jazian Gortman are also on the G League team’s 18-man roster, but Omari Moore isn’t, Owczarski adds (Twitter link). Moore signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Toronto after being waived from his two-way contract by Milwaukee, so the Raptors 905 hold his NBAGL rights.

Heat Rumors: Beal, Adebayo, Haslem, Herro, Martin, Love

October 24th, 2023 at 2:13pm CST by Luke Adams

Writing for Andscape.com alongside Marc J. Spears, Suns guard Bradley Beal revisited his trade request from earlier this summer, sharing some behind-the-scenes details on how the process played out after he asked out of D.C.

As Beal writes, Miami was his “initial favorite” landing spot. According to Beal, he and his representatives were in touch with Heat president Pat Riley, who said he needed to talk to team owner Micky Arison. While he was waiting to hear back from the Heat, Beal and his camp received strong interest from the Suns, who emerged as the frontrunners when Miami opted not to move forward.

“I’m like, ‘OK, what’s Miami doing? Dragging feet,'” Beal writes. “And eventually it came to a point to where Miami said they just can’t do it.”

Following the publication of Beal’s Andscape diary, the Heat confirmed on the record that the guard’s no-trade clause was a sticking point, as Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald writes (and as The Herald previously reported).

Miami wanted the three-time All-Star to remove the no-trade clause from his contract as part of a trade to the Heat, so that they’d have the ability to move him down the road if needed. However, he was unwilling to do so, and Phoenix didn’t insist on it, so Beal still holds that no-trade clause as a member of the Suns.

Here’s more on the Heat:

Bam Adebayo could have accepted a two-year, $97MM extension from the Heat in advance of Monday’s deadline, but chose to bypass a new deal at this time, recognizing that he could qualify for a more lucrative super-max extension with a big 2023/24 season, according to Barry Jackson and Chiang of The Miami Herald.
After spending two decades with the Heat as a player, Udonis Haslem will have a role with the franchise in player development and the front office, head coach Erik Spoelstra said on Monday, adding that Haslem’s exact title and responsibilities are still being figured out (Twitter link via Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel).
Heat guard Tyler Herro has stated repeatedly in recent weeks that he’s determined to prove his value this season after being at the center of offseason trade rumors and repeated that message in an interview with Wes Goldberg of The Ringer, admitting he “damn near had my s–t packed up” as Damian Lillard rumors swirled this offseason.
Speaking to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press, Heat president Pat Riley said the club has never actively looked to move Herro, but tacitly acknowledged that it would have been willing to discuss him in the right deal. “We have never shopped him and had no interest in ever trading the guy,” Riley said of Herro. “But when you’re talking about acquiring one of the top five players in the league, there isn’t anybody on our team that won’t be discussed.”
Riley also spoke to Chiang of The Miami Herald about his expectations for this year’s Heat and possible next step, identifying Kyle Lowry as a potential “X factor.” While Riley admitted that there’s some added urgency to contend for a title due to Jimmy Butler‘s age (34), he made it clear he has no plans to blow up the roster if the team falls short in 2023/24. “It should not be any kind of, OK, warning to [Butler] or to the team that if you don’t get it done this year that this whole thing is going to go in the incinerator,” Riley said. “That’s not what we’re looking for. We’re looking to add to this.”
Caleb Martin said on Tuesday that he expects to come off the bench to start the season, which signals that Kevin Love will likely start at power forward, per Jackson and Chiang. Martin added that he’ll play in Wednesday’s opener even though his knee isn’t 100%. “Still feel some discomfort for sure,” Martin said. “It’s a work in progress. Staying with the treatment. I’m making really good progress, feeling a lot better. We’ll proceed with caution, see how my body responds.”

Heat Notes: Adebayo, Sioux Falls, Richardson, Highsmith, Roster Decisions

October 19th, 2023 at 7:52pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Bam Adebayo is eligible to sign a two-year, $97MM extension until Monday. However, the Heat center realizes he could get a longer and more lucrative contract if he waits, he told Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.

Adebayo could meet the super-max criteria and become eligible to sign a four-year, $245MM extension in the 2024 offseason if he makes an All-NBA team or is named Defensive Player of the Year this season.

“The money difference does play a part,” he said. “But we’ll have that conversation at some point.”

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Despite the logistics of shuttling players from Point A to B, the Heat announced a five-year agreement to keep their NBA G League affiliate in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter link). It’s approximately 1,824 miles between the two cities.
Foot injuries continue to mar Josh Richardson‘s preseason. He departed Wednesday’s preseason loss with a right foot injury and was underwent an MRI on his foot on Thursday, according to Chiang. The MRI results were negative and he’s day-to-day. He sat out the Heat’s second and third preseason games due to left foot discomfort.
An MRI on Haywood Highsmith‘s left knee revealed a sprain and he’ll be reevaluated in two weeks, Chiang tweets. He recently had his $1.9MM salary guaranteed.
There are six players on the Heat’s current 19-man camp roster competing for the 14th spot on the standard roster and the three two-way contract slots. Out of that group, Jamal Cain, Dru Smith and Cole Swider have stood out, according to Chiang. Cain and Smith are already on two-way deals and looking to get a promotion to the standard roster. “It’s just gratifying to see that kind of improvement from a young player, particularly when it’s not easy,” coach Erik Spoelstra said of Cain.

Heat Notes: Swider, Preseason, Adebayo, Bryant

October 12th, 2023 at 8:05pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Heat forward Cole Swider is making a case for the team’s open roster spot, earning buzz in training camp and then scoring 17 points in the fourth quarter of Miami’s preseason game against the Hornets on Tuesday. He’s aiming to be the next in a long line of undrafted success stories for the organization, following players like Duncan Robinson, Gabe Vincent and Max Strus.

Swider attributes some of his success in the NBA so far to Robinson, in particular, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. When Swider signed his two-way deal with the Lakers following the 2022 draft, Chiang writes, one of the first people he texted was Robinson.

“I hit him up and I said, ‘Hey, man. I just want to say thank you,’” Swider said. “Because [Lakers general manager] Rob Pelinka had mentioned he passed up on Duncan in the pre-draft process and he didn’t want to let that happen again. So that was part of the reason that I got the two-way. So I just texted Duncan and I said, ‘Thank you.’”

As Chiang writes, Robinson and Swider have followed similar career paths. Both players are shooters with size (Swider is 6’8″ and Robinson and 6’9″), both have their own podcasts, and both grew up in the New England area.

“Duncan has been a great role model to me,” Swider said. “He’s obviously made it in this league. He’s made a lot of money in this league. He’s played in two NBA Finals and has gone on deep, deep playoff runs. So he’s been a great mentor to me and I’m going to keep picking his brain.”

Robinson is looking to pass the baton and help turn Swider into a Heat rotation staple, according to Chiang, who notes that Robinson credited former teammates Wayne Ellington, James Johnson and Ryan Anderson as some veterans who helped him get acclimated to the team.

We have more notes from the Heat:

Almost all of Miami’s rotation regulars will miss Friday’s preseason tilt against the Spurs, Chiang writes in another piece. Only Thomas Bryant, Duncan Robinson, Orlando Robinson and Haywood Highsmith from the standard roster will travel, with the rest of the rotation fleshed out by the team’s Exhibit 10 and two-way players. This will give the Heat an opportunity to gather more information for their upcoming roster decisions, with players like Justin Champagnie and Alondes Williams among those looking to crack the team, Chiang notes. “They’ve been working their tails off, and I want to reward those guys for the work they’ve been putting in,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “They’ve earned these minutes. We also want to evaluate them.“
Spoelstra was disappointed that Bam Adebayo didn’t receive more recognition on this year’s preseason survey of general managers. Adebayo did not receive a single vote for best defensive player in the NBA, but did receive the third-most votes for most versatile defender in the league, Chiang says in another Herald article. However, Adebayo brushed off the lack of votes in his favor. “They’re just mad because I be locking up their best player. That’s all that is,” Adebayo said.
The Heat have cycled through backup center options for Adebayo in recent seasons, including Cody Zeller and Dewayne Dedmon. Bryant is the next attempt at finding a viable backup for Adebayo, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel opines. The big man posted 15 points and eight rebounds on Tuesday in the preseason, providing optimism that he could be a suitable piece for Miami, Winderman writes. “We’re all encouraged by it,” Spoelstra said. “He has a physical presence in the paint. But he has exceptional touch, as well. … He’s got a variety of different kinds of jump hooks or finishes at the rim. He’s been historically a very good finisher in the paint, so it’s not something new.“

Heat Notes: Adebayo, Hampton, Swider, Jaquez

October 11th, 2023 at 2:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra had another impressive showing in John Schuhmann’s annual general manager poll, earning 73% of the GMs’ votes for best head coach in the NBA. However, when he was asked about that survey during a media session on Tuesday, Spoelstra ended up bemoaning the fact that Bam Adebayo didn’t receive a single vote as the league’s best defensive player.

“That one is just unbelievable to me,” Spoelstra said, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link). “I think Bam is the best defensive player in the league and I just can’t understand why he’s not recognized for how impactful he is on that end of the court. So he’s just going to have to prove it again and just do it this year until everybody notices.”

While Spoelstra acknowledged that the pursuit of certain individual awards can interfere with team success, he suggested that Defensive Player of the Year – which Adebayo has talked about wanting to win – is “a good award to go for.”

“I think he just has to be who he is, do what he does and just be that dynamic force on that end of the court,” Spoelstra said. “Then I think he’s going to get recognized for that and hopefully we’ll have a great defense this year and he leads us on that end of the court.”

Here’s more on the Heat:

In a notebook column for The Miami Herald, Barry Jackson explores whether Thomas Bryant has the right skill set to share the court with Adebayo, notes that Kevin Love has no preference between starting or coming off the bench, and relays Spoelstra’s comments on camp invitee R.J. Hampton. “(He’s) an out-of-this-world athlete,” Spoelstra said of Hampton, adding that he led the Heat in deflections and steals during training camp. “But he has to find a template to find immediate success in a role.”
Cole Swider‘s impressive fall continued on Tuesday as he poured in five three-pointers in the Heat’s preseason opener. While the camp invitee has made a good case for a promotion to a standard contract or two-way deal, he’s not taking anything for granted, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscription required). “I mean, I’m not on a contract, still,” Swider said. “You know what I mean? There’s nothing to be really excited about. … I just want to keep on stacking one day at a time, keeping on trying to help myself and help this team get to a point where I’m in the rotation and helping this team win.”
Coming off a strong preseason debut in which he scored 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting, Heat rookie Jaime Jaquez strained his left groin during Wednesday’s practice, tweets Winderman. The severity of the injury isn’t yet known, but the team will likely be in no hurry to get Jaquez back on the court.
While it may not have been ideal for young players like Jaquez and Nikola Jovic to have their names bandied about in trade rumors all summer, Spoelstra believes there’s a silver lining, according to Winderman (subscription required). “It’s not easy for young players to have their names thrown out there in the media. It’s just happening more and more each year, it seems like. And it’s not exclusive to us. I think it’s just league-wide, so you have to learn how to manage all of that,” Spoelstra said. “… And I think that’s a good thing for young players to experience early on — all the different components of being a professional basketball player.”

Heat Notes: Adebayo, Butler, Richardson, Ellington

October 5th, 2023 at 6:59pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Even with Joel Embiid manning the paint for Team USA, Heat center Bam Adebayo is still expecting to be on the national team’s roster, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes. Adebayo told reporters that he’d already received an invite from Team USA to be on the roster for next year’s Olympics.

If he remains healthy, Adebayo plans to play for Team USA in Paris after winning a gold medal with the Americans in Tokyo in 2021. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is an assistant under national team head coach Steve Kerr and is looking forward to coaching Adebayo in the event, according to Chiang.

“I think it’s awesome for Bam,” Spoelstra said. “I think it’s continuing to help establish him as one of the ultimate winners in this league. He was one of the most impactful players in USA Basketball, and we understand why. I don’t even know what his stats were in the Olympics. But in talking to everybody at Team USA, they felt like he was a must for that roster because of everything he does on both ends of the court and because he’s such a winner.”

Adebayo is entering his seventh season in the NBA and holds career averages of 14.7 points and 8.5 rebounds.

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The NBA implemented new rules impacting teams resting healthy players this offseason. Though Jimmy Butler is defined as a star player who is subject to these rules, he says it will have “zero” effect on how many games he plays in the regular season, Marc Berman of The Palm Beach Post writes. “I’m going to play the games that I am healthy and I’m going to go out there and help my team win,” Butler said. Butler also said he didn’t care about any postseason awards. Players must now play in a minimum of 65 games to be eligible for postseason awards, like MVP.
After sending Josh Richardson out in the trade that brought Butler to Miami in 2019, head coach Erik Spoelstra always thought his return was inevitable, Chiang writes in a separate story. Spoelstra was right, as Richardson signed with the Heat this offseason. “It almost happened a couple times,” Richardson said. “But all the chips didn’t fall in place. But I mean, when I left, me and Spo talked about it, that it was going to happen eventually. It’s just one of those things.“
Even though Wayne Ellington played with nine franchises during his 13-year career, Miami left a lasting impression on him, Chiang writes in another story. That’s why Ellington decided to come back to the Heat as a player development coach, replacing Anthony Carter, who left to join the Grizzlies’ staff. “When I got here, I really bought into what the culture was about, I really bought into what the coaching staff was preaching and I put the work in and I saw that change and it helped me become who I thought I could be as a player,” Ellington said.

Durant, Curry, LeBron, Other U.S. Stars Express Olympic Interest

October 2nd, 2023 at 4:08pm CST by Luke Adams

The 2024 Olympics in Paris were a popular topic of discussion on media days around the NBA in Monday, with many of the league’s biggest American stars expressing interest in representing Team USA next summer.

Suns forward Kevin Durant, who won Olympic gold medals in 2012, 2016, and 2020, was adamant in addressing his 2024 plans, telling reporters, “I will play in the Olympics next year,” according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.

Durant’s Suns teammate Devin Booker also indicated that he would accept an invite from USA Basketball, as Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic writes, while KD’s former Warriors teammate Stephen Curry told reporters, “(I) definitely want to be on the team,” per Reynolds.

Lakers forward LeBron James, who was rumored last month to be recruiting his fellow U.S. stars to play at next year’s Olympics, confirmed his interest, tweets Jovan Buha of The Athletic. His teammate Anthony Davis wasn’t prepared to commit yet, telling reporters that it’s too early to say whether he’ll play (Twitter link via Buha).

Of course, one of the biggest question marks for Team USA is Joel Embiid, who has yet to take part in an international competition and has citizenship in France and the U.S. in addition to his native Cameroon.

As Tim Bontemps of ESPN relays (via Twitter), Embiid said today that he’d like to play in the Olympics but is still weighing his options. While the U.S. and France have already qualified, Cameroon will compete in a qualifying tournament next summer in the hopes of earning a spot in the 12-team Olympic field. Embiid, who was reportedly given an October 10 deadline by the French team, said he hopes to make his decision “in the next few days.”

“I love all three options,” Embiid said, per ESPN. “Cameroon, I’m born there, I’m from there and I always want to represent my country. But the goal is also to play in the Olympics. If we had a chance, or if we would qualify for the Olympics, that will be an easy decision. But that’s still up in the air. And I really do want to play in the Olympics.”

Here’s more on the potential Team USA roster, which can only accommodate 12 players:

Celtics forward Jayson Tatum intends to play for the U.S. in Paris, tweets Jeff Goodman of The Messenger. His teammate Jaylen Brown also expressed interest, telling reporters that there’s “no greater honor” than representing his country and adding that it would be “great” to play in next year’s Olympics (Twitter link via Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe).
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard said he would consider playing for Team USA in the Paris Olympics, per Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).
Bucks forward Khris Middleton and center Brook Lopez (Twitter link via Eric Nehm of The Athletic), Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (Twitter link via Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files), Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (Twitter link via Chris Mannix of SI.com), Bulls guard Zach LaVine (Twitter link via K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago), and Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon (Twitter link via Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports) are among the players who indicated they’d accept invites from Team USA if they received them. Heat big man Bam Adebayo, Suns guard Bradley Beal, Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, and Knicks forward Julius Randle also fall into that group, per a report from ESPN.
Clippers forward Paul George, Pelicans forward Zion Williamson, and Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma expressed some interest in playing for Team USA, while Heat wing Jimmy Butler didn’t rule out the possibility, according to ESPN.

Heat Notes: Adebayo, D. Robinson, Lowry, Offseason, Bullock

October 1st, 2023 at 3:25pm CST by Arthur Hill

Now that Udonis Haslem has retired, Bam Adebayo will take over as the new leader of Heat culture. In an interview with Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald, Adebayo discusses his transition into that role, which was endorsed by both Haslem and Dwyane Wade.

“You can’t run from it. The thing about it is it’s not going to be easy,” Adebayo said. “It’s not going to be something that obviously you take for granted. But do I feel like I’m ready? Yes. At this point, I’ve done a lot of stuff in my career in my six years that a lot of dudes haven’t done in their whole career. So being able to one, obviously, have D-Wade in my ear the first year and a half of my career and then having UD all the way through up to this point, it’s prepared me for that role. It’s prepared me for the standard, it’s prepared me for understanding what this looks like and how it’s supposed to be.”

Entering his seventh season in Miami, Adebayo understands the fabric of the organization better than anyone. He’s committed to the same ideas of toughness and physical conditioning that Wade and Haslem emphasized, and he talked about the need to build strong relationships with his teammates so he’ll be able to confront them in difficult times.

Adebayo also looked back on the loss to Denver in the NBA Finals this spring and expressed a hope that it will inspire the team to get back to the Finals.

“I feel like losing should always be a motivation because it’s not only you losing, but it’s a lesson at the end of the day,” he said. “What could we have done better? What could I have done better? What could I have done differently? What can I do this year that I didn’t do last year? There’s stepping stones to that.”

There’s more from Miami:

Even though Damian Lillard wound up in Milwaukee, trade rumors surrounding the Heat will likely continue, according to Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Winderman notes that the front office tried to move Duncan Robinson‘s contract during the summer and states that the organization considers Kyle Lowry‘s expiring $29.7MM deal to be a trade asset, which is why he wasn’t waived and stretched before the Aug. 31 deadline.
The Heat’s luxury tax situation means that anyone with guaranteed money is very likely to make the roster, Winderman adds. Miami has 13 players with fully or partially guaranteed contracts, along with two-way players Jamal Cain, Dru Smith and R.J. Hampton, who may contend for the final roster spot.
Winderman writes in a separate piece that the Heat’s failure to add either Lillard or Jrue Holiday in a deal, combined with the fact that their top two rivals in the East just got better by adding the All-Star guards, represents a worst-case scenario for the club.
The Heat have “respect” for Reggie Bullock, who reached a buyout with the Spurs on Saturday, tweets Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. The veteran swingman could provide outside shooting and defense, but Miami will be limited to a veteran’s minimum offer once he clears waivers.

Heat Notes: Lillard, Roster, Herro, Hampton

September 28th, 2023 at 10:59am CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat suffered a major loss when news of the Damian Lillard trade broke on Wednesday, failing to acquire a future Hall of Famer who specifically wanted to be dealt to them, writes Greg Cote of The Miami Herald. Nearly three months after Lillard told the Trail Blazers that he only wanted to go to Miami, he wound up in Milwaukee, where he and Giannis Antetokounmpo may be the greatest obstacle to the Heat’s chances to repeat as Eastern Conference champions.

Miami missed out on Lillard because team president Pat Riley wasn’t willing to increase his offer to Portland and couldn’t find a third team to help facilitate a deal, Cote adds. Riley was counting on Lillard’s preference for Miami and a lackluster trade market to eventually work in his favor.

Cote contends that acquiring Lillard is the type of win-now move the Heat need to make because their championship window is limited with 34-year-old Jimmy Butler as their best player. Adding Lillard would have provided a shot of energy the team needs as it approaches a long season, Cote adds. Instead Miami will open camp wondering how he got away.

There’s more from Miami:

With Lillard off the table, the Heat’s options to improve their roster are now limited, observes Ben Rohrbach of Yahoo Sports. Age is an issue as Kyle Lowry and Kevin Love are older than Butler, Rohrbach notes, and so are financial concerns as Butler, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson are owed about $130MM for the 2025/26 season, which represents 90% of the projected salary cap. Rohrbach adds that the summer-long pursuit of Lillard showed Herro’s limited trade value around the league.
Butler’s Instagram post on Wednesday accusing the Bucks of tampering in the Lillard deal received an endorsement from Herro, who tweeted, “What he said.”
RJ Hampton, who is joining the Heat on a two-way contract, is grateful to be in Miami after spending time with three teams in his first three NBA seasons. “A PRIVILEGE to be apart of this organization, let’s go,” Hampton wrote on Twitter. The Heat opened a spot for Hampton with a series of moves on Wednesday.

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