Bam Adebayo revealed he and his family discussed the possibility of Damian Lillard joining the Heat, but Adebayo just wanted the saga to be over and not drag out in the way it ultimately did.
“This summer was family time. We used to discuss the Damian Lillard stuff. I just wish it got over earlier. Just because not only for guys on our team but for him as an individual. Guys have got kids, guys have got families, guys need to know what’s about to happen… That’s a lot to move in 72 hours. I am glad he got what he wanted at the end of the day. He wanted to leave and have a chance to win, I feel he has that where he went.”
"I wish it would have just gotten over earlier"
🔊 @Bam1of1 on why he thought the Damian Lillard trade discussions went on longer than they should have #HEATTwitter @MiamiHeat | @NBA | @SiriusXMSports
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Lillard has taken Adebayo by name before and was reportedly one of the reasons he wanted to join the Heat. Bam’s defensive skill set is mind-blowingly solid, while his offense is improving every season. He averaged 20.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 3.2 assists last season and is the bonafide second star on the Heat behind Jimmy Butler.
The Heat Didn’t Want To Give Up Assets For Damian Lillard
The Miami Heat were considered the frontrunners in the Damian Lillard trade race for most of the summer, but it seems pride was the main sticking point between the two franchises. Pat Riley cryptically discussed the Lillard trade with Ira Winderman, essentially confirming the Heat didn’t give the Blazers the offer the franchise wanted for Lillard.
“We were very reluctant this summer to give up all of our assets in any kind of discussions with anybody.”
Pat Riley has had a concerning track record of consistently missing out on players who want to join the Heat. Lillard is the latest example, but we can’t forget that even Kevin Durant and Donovan Mitchell were eyeing Miami last season during their public trade spats.
One recent All-Star who got traded is Bradley Beal, and the former scoring champion wanted to join the Heat over the Phoenix Suns but saw the stingy Heat front office not make a move for him.
The Heat Refused To Trade For Bradley Beal
Beal wanted to be wearing a Miami Heat jersey right now. While he’s happy that he’s wearing a Suns jersey instead of a Wizards jersey, Beal candidly spoke about how badly he wanted to end up with the Heat but got low to minimal interest from the front office, who refused to make a halfway decent offer to the Wizards.
“So, my initial favorite was Miami. And so, we call Miami. [Miami president] Pat [Riley] says well I’ll go talk to [owner] Micky [Arison] and figure it out. So he goes, talks to Micky, we go, we hear back [New York] Knicks, Sacramento, Brooklyn a little bit, and then it was Milwaukee and it was one more big team… ‘OK, what’s Miami doing? Dragging feet.’ And eventually, it came to a point where Miami said they just can’t do it.”
Beal was one of the best scorers in the NBA just a few seasons ago. While he slowed down in recent seasons, it could also be due to the fact that the Wizards have been playing uncompetitive basketball in recent seasons. Beal hopes to find his offensive flow in Phoenix and finally compete for a title after years in purgatory with Washington.
Beal averaged 23.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists last season.
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