The Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Clippers are in two different stages of the season. The Heat are up 2-1 against the Boston Celtics with a chance to go play in the NBA Finals, while the Los Angeles Clippers are at home wondering what went wrong. Both teams had strong regular seasons, but only the Heat were able to carry the momentum into the playoffs by knocking off the Eastern Conference favorites in the Milwaukee Bucks.
Both teams have All-Star talent, but Miami is the team with the advantage of grabbing a third star to pair with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. By packaging a massive deal centered around two-way star Paul George, they have a chance to make the Finals every year in the East. For the Clippers, they need to win with Kawhi Leonard at all costs.
Here is the trade package that gifts the Miami Heat Paul George while adding capable young players to help Kawhi Leonard in the West.
Trade Package: Kendrick Nunn, Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, and Andre Iguodala for Paul George
The Clippers Must Act Now
The Los Angeles Clippers choked away a chance to face the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. They were up 3-1 against the Denver Nuggets only to lose the remaining 3 games and bow out in embarrassing fashion. Out of all the players on the Clippers roster, it was Paul George that was well below his level.
He didn’t form a dominant partnership with Kawhi Leonard, rather being a liability at times during the postseason. The Clippers are in win-now mode and must surround Kawhi Leonard, a top-five player in the game, with the appropriate talent to get past the second round in the playoffs. Kawhi is untouchable, and so is Lou Williams. The rest of the roster can be shuffled around, but they would be smart to add young pieces to provide energy and talent now and to lead the franchise in the future.
Tyler Herro is a star in the making, and so is Kendrick Nunn. Those two young talents alone make up for a great return, but adding the likes of Duncan Robinson (44.6% from three this season) and Andre Iguodala (former Finals MVP and locker room veteran) gives the Clippers some more juice. Kawhi needed shooting, hustle, and energy which was all missing. This package of players gives the Clippers more shooting and scoring right now than Paul George alone, and also pieces for the future.
The Miami Heat Can Be In The Finals For The Foreseeable Future
The Miami Heat can possibly be in the Finals this year, but it looks very unlikely that they can defeat the Lakers in 7 games. Not to mention, they very well might falter against the Boston Celtics in the ECF. Boston is supremely talented and could knock off the Heat without surprise.
But the reason the Heat should want to add George is to create a massive Big Three that would place them as the favorites in the East. Talent wins titles, and having three stars puts them over Giannis and the Bucks and the Boston Celtics. For the current landscape in the East, a Big Three would make them the favorites without a doubt. Butler and George both play lockdown defense and score the ball, while Bam Adebayo dominated the game inside. Dragic and Crowder fill out a very powerful lineup that makes the Heat legitimate title favorites every year.
Parting ways with Tyler Herro hurts, but he might be a sacrifice that is needed if the Heat fails this year in the playoffs. Paul George, Jimmy Butler, and Bam Adebayo create the best Big Three in the NBA and they will certainly compete for a chip in Miami’s winning culture.
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