4 times Miami Heat fumbled despite being front-runners to land superstars (including Kevin Durant)
For the last couple of years, the Miami Heat have been the destination of choice to be traded to for some of the top stars in the league. However, they have not been able to capitalize on it for one reason or another, going empty-handed from the discussions.
Here are four instances when the Heat failed to land superstars despite being seen as front-runners for them.
#1. 'Insufficient' offer for Donovan Mitchell
Miami was among the teams in a great position to land All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell when the Utah Jazz decided to rebuild two years ago.
The Jazz, however, found Miami's offer “insufficient” as the South Beach squad just did not want to part ways with key players Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, leaving them with limited assets to trade.
Donovan eventually landed with the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he continued to be an All-Star last season.
#2. Non aggressive push for Kevin Durant
Another superstar that the Heat could have gotten their hands on was Kevin Durant. When Durant asked to be traded from the Brooklyn Nets last year, he had Miami and the Phoenix Suns as his preferred destinations.
But while the Miami Heat had the inside track for the 13-time All-Star, it did not really make an aggressive enugh push as it became evident that for a deal to happen, it had to include Adebayo, who it wanted to continue to be part of their push moving forward.
Durant eventually landed in Phoenix, joining forces with Devin Booker.
#3. Backpedalled on Bradley Beal
The Heat once again lost out on getting Bradley Beal from the Washington Wizards this offseason. Miami was looking to add the three-time All-Star and bona-fide bucket-getter to provide added help to resident star Jimmy Butler.
But while they were initially interested in getting Beal, the team seemingly reconsidered its push as it felt there were other bigger prize catches to focus on.
The player is now with Phoenix, creating a big three with Durant and Booker.
#4. Too much to give for Damian Lillard
After shifting away from Beal, the team made a run to get Damian Lillard, who wanted out of the Portland Trail Blazers. ‘Dame’ was adamant that he only wanted to play for the Heat if he was traded, but this proved to be easier said than done.
Portland was reportedly asking a lot for Lillard and the Heat just didn't want to give away too much to get the All-Star guard. The teams looked at involving a third team to help facilitate the deal, earning some interest from the field. In the end though, nothing concrete came out of it.
Lillard, however, was eventually traded, not to the Heat, but to Eastern Conference rivals Milwaukee Bucks, in a three-team deal involving Phoenix. In Milwaukee, Lillard joins forces with Giannis Antetokounmpo as he makes a push for his first-ever NBA title.
Fans react to Miami Heat failing to land Damian Lillard
Despite being in great position to land All-Star Damian Lillard, the Miami Heat fell short in its push, seeing their target go to the rivals Milwaukee Bucks.
After months of negotiations, the Portland Trail Blazers gave the go-ahead to let go of their long-time star to the Bucks in a three-team deal involving the Phoenix Suns.
The development effectively quashed Miami’s of hopes of landing the veteran guard, who it saw as giving its cause a major boost. Fans immediately made their thoughts known. Here are some of them: