(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Wednesday’s news that Damian Lillard was headed to the Milwaukee Bucks from the Portland Trail Blazers was like a huge gut punch to the Miami Heat and their fans.
Lillard specifically said he wanted to be traded to the Heat, yet the team left the Lillard sweepstakes completely empty-handed.
Now Miami is left in the position of having to sift through table scraps in order to find someone who can get them over the hump.
One option is James Harden, another star who demanded a trade earlier this summer, but per NBACentral, the Heat have “zero interest” in him according to insiders Anthony Chiang and Barry Jackson.
Miami has zero trade interest in James Harden, per @MiamiHerald pic.twitter.com/fpSJ8S83Q6
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 28, 2023
Harden and the Philadelphia 76ers, his current team, came to an agreement that he would be moved this summer, but the 76ers didn’t find a trade partner, and thus he is still a member of their roster.
Harden responded by calling executive Daryl Morey a “liar,” and it has cast a dark cloud over the organization as training camp nears.
However, the 34-year-old future Hall of Famer may not be a good fit for the Heat’s much-lauded culture.
Harden has a poor track record in big games and elimination contests, and he was at it again in last season’s playoffs.
The Sixers, behind the star guard, took a 3-2 series lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics, only to lose the final two games when he shot a combined 7-of-27 from the field.
Miami would likely be better off pursuing Jrue Holiday, who the Bucks gave up for Lillard, rather than Harden.
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