The Miami Heat have been heavily linked with Damian Lillard this offseason, as the Portland Trail Blazers star could be looking to play for a contender. In the meantime, they also seem to have a Luka Doncic teammate at the Dallas Mavericks on their radar.
Erik Spoelstra’s team has once again made a deep playoff run, making all the way to the NBA Finals for the second time in the last four years. But for some reason, they couldn’t go the distance in 2020 or 2023.
It’s safe to say that reason is the lack of another star next to Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, which explains their reported interest in Lillard. However, the Heat seem to evaluate other options as well.
Rumor: Miami Heat target Christian Wood
According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports, the Miami Heat are keeping an eye on Christian Wood. The 27-year-old spent the last season with the Mavs, but now is set to become an unrestricted free agent.
But of course, the team’s priority seems to be Lillard and it would be willing to wait as long as it takes to make a move for the Blazers superstar:
“The most consistent Portland rumbling around the league isn’t even about Portland necessarily, but the Miami Heat’s patience for Lillard to actually seek a new destination prior to the 2023-24 season. But before that bridge is crossed, and if Lillard never truly wavers in his commitment to the Blazers, the Heat have their own wonky accounting to navigate this summer.”
The Heat have shown they’re capable of contending in the last few years, but they didn’t have enough to get the job done and win a championship. Therefore, Miami will be a team to watch this offseason.
