Trying to trade for Damian Lillard has been seen as a no-brainer for a Miami Heat team that has lost in the NBA Finals twice in the last four seasons. The Heat need some firepower on offense to ease the load on Jimmy Butler, and Lillard seems like the man who’d help them get over the hump.
Paul Pierce, however, boldly claimed they would get knocked out in the first round if they traded for Lillard. Pierce unsurprisingly received some criticism for it, and in response, he doubled down.
“To acquire a player like that, you’re gonna lose so much of the other pieces you had that helped you get to where you needed to go,” Pierce said. “The team, with those pieces, yeah they made the Finals, but people seem to forget that team was a play-in team. That don’t make you a contender when you get to the Finals. They gonna have to figure out what they can do better in the regular season and I just think if they gut their team, it’s going to be a struggle trying to win the East.”
.@paulpierce34 responds to the criticism of his viral Miami Heat take from yesterday's live show.
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The Heat would certainly be losing a fair bit of depth if they acquire Lillard, but they’ve shown they are probably better at player development than every other team in the league. Just a year ago, not many would have regarded Caleb Martin or Gabe Vincent as quality starting-caliber players, but the two just played a big part in helping them get to the NBA Finals.
The Heat would be backing their player development staff to unearth some hidden gems and at this point, you wouldn’t bet against them doing it.
NBA Analyst Isn’t Sure The Heat Would Be Better Than The Bucks Or Celtics Even After A Lillard Trade
While Pierce may have gone to the extreme with his initial take on the Heat not making it past the first round, he isn’t the only one to think this team won’t win the East with Dame.
Kevin O’Connor said he isn’t sure the Heat would actually be better than the Milwaukee Bucks or the Boston Celtics next season, even if they trade for Lillard. One could make the case that, on paper, the Heat haven’t been better than those two teams over the last four years, but they have made the Finals twice in that time. They are just a team that knows how to win in the postseason better than anyone else in their conference.
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