The Miami Heat were thought to be a team that was trending toward making a major acquisition during the NBA offseason, with superstar guard Damian Lillard letting it be known that he wanted to be traded to the team in order to play alongside stars Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler.
Unfortunately for the Heat, Miami ended up not being in the running to land Lillard, with the Portland Trail Blazers deciding to talk to other teams and ultimately come to terms on a three-team deal with the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks.
Lillard landed with the Bucks and Miami ended up with nothing, as they were even unable to get Jrue Holiday from Portland, who was part of the blockbuster trade and ended up getting traded to the Boston Celtics.
Even though this was an unfortunate turn of events for the Heat, Miami has moved on and has begun to focus on the upcoming season with the roster as currently constructed.
Despite Miami being confident with Butler and Adebayo leading the way, Fred Katz of The Athletic believes the Heat could struggle, especially without stars Max Strus (Cleveland Cavaliers) and Gabe Vincent (Los Angeles Lakers) via Dru.
“I think [the Pacers] are better than Miami. I’m worried about Miami. I’m probably going to be wrong, but Strus & Vincent were really important for them. It’s not like [Miami] was phenomenal the whole season. They still had the 7th best record in the East”-Knicks writer @FredKatz pic.twitter.com/SeLL2HQ2LE
— Dru (@dru_star) October 9, 2023
With the Heat being the most resilient team in the league last year by barely making the NBA playoffs and reaching the NBA Finals as an eighth season while taking out the Bucks and Celtics in the process, it’s tough to count this team out, especially before the 2023-24 season even begins.
It’s also a bold statement to say the Indiana Pacers will be a better team this season, as outside of Tyler Haliburton’s development, that team has shown no signs of improvement.
However, anything can happen in the NBA, so Katz’s opinion can’t be overlooked just yet.
NEXT: Heat Veteran Keeps Working Hard At The Gym
