Without Damian Lillard in the mix, the Heat's options are limited for built-now, aging roster

 Without Damian Lillard in the mix, the Heat's options are limited for built-now, aging roster

If we learned anything this NBA offseason, it is that nobody wants to extend Pat Riley's winning time.

The Miami Heat executive spent the summer believing Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard would fall into his lap, joining Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo on a team that could deliver him a 10th championship ring. Instead, the rival Milwaukee Bucks stole Lillard from under his nose, pairing the seven-time All-NBA selection with two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and disrupting Riley's best-laid plans.

Lillard requested a trade as free agency opened. His agent, Aaron Goodwin, publicly acknowledged, "He wants to play in Miami. Period," warning other suitors, "It’s not fair to a team to allow them to engage in a negotiation that could be futile in the end," even though Lillard's $176 million contract runs through 2027. The NBA went so far as to alert all 30 teams that Lillard faced discipline if his public negotiating persisted.

Riley proceeded accordingly for the past three months, reportedly leaving only an offer of Tyler Herro and two first-round draft picks on the table for Lillard. The Heat could have sweetened the deal, adding some combination of Nikola Jović, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and a third first-round pick. Why pay more, the thinking went, when all other teams were tempering their offers with the reality that Lillard might not want to play for them?

 

Yorumlar

Yorum Gönder

Bu blogdaki popüler yayınlar

The embarrassing GOP debate was a race to the bottom for the Republican Party 1

  The embarrassing GOP debate was a race to the bottom for the Republican Party   After two hours of debate during which the 2024 Republican presidential hopefuls mostly shouted over each other, it’s reasonable to ask why the GOP continues to subject itself to so much avoidable humiliation.   Donald Trump, the front-runner for the nomination, made early headlines after announcing he would skip Wednesday’s primary debate. In retrospect that seems like a shrewd decision, because nobody who took the stage in California emerged stronger for their efforts. What the American people saw at the Reagan Presidential Library was a Republican Party in full-on fracture, where none of the feuding candidates could lay claim to a constituency large enough to be taken seriously in the face of Trump’s dominating polling lead.   Faced with the increasingly public brawls between Republicans’ far-right flank and their establishment base — a battle also unfolding as Congress weighs a potential government sh
Devamı

2023 Ryder Cup: How to watch the golf tournament, full TV schedule, team info and more

 2023 Ryder Cup: How to watch the golf tournament, full TV schedule, team info and more Golf fans, get ready, because it’s almost time for the 44th biennial Ryder Cup to tee off. Consisting of 28 matches across three competition days between Team USA and Team Europe, the Ryder Cup will see some of golf’s biggest stars face off on the green this week, including Scottie Scheffler, Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm. The US heads into this year’s international tournament as the defending champion, but hasn’t managed to win on European soil in 30 years. Team Europe, having won seven of the last 10 Ryder Cups, will be a worthy opponent. Ready to watch the 2023 Ryder Cup? Here’s everything you need to know before tee time, including the full TV schedule, team USA and Team Europe info and more.  
Devamı