NBA Rumors: NBA executives and scouts label Miami Heat as potential landing spot for 9x All-Star
NBA executives and scouts consider the Miami Heat a potential landing spot for LA Lakers star Russell Westbrook. NBA rumors suggest the Lakers have actively pursued moving Westbrook this summer. However, they haven't been able to secure a deal they find viable.
Meanwhile, the Heat have had a quiet offseason. They haven't done much to improve their roster. Re-signing Victor Oladipo has been their best move thus far.
The Miami Heat have managed to help players re-ignite their confidence, which was among the reasons highlighted by executives and scouts behind them being potential suitors for Westbrook. Here's what Fox Sports' Ric Bucher wrote regarding this:
"Even then, team executives and scouts could only come up with one potential landing spot: the Miami Heat. Team president Pat Riley has a history of cultivating fiery competitive players, from Alonzo Mourning to Brian Grant to Jimmy Butler.
Bucher added:
"He hoped that point guard Kyle Lowry would be the finishing piece to another championship-caliber team last season, but after posting the best record in the East, the team lost to Boston in the conference finals. Lowry, plagued by several nagging injuries, played in only 10 of their 18 postseason contests and was a shell of himself, averaging 7.8 points on 29.1 percent shooting. "
He further said:
"Depending on how this season goes for the Heat in general and Lowry in particular, Westbrook might be a worthwhile gamble. 'It makes sense,’ an Eastern Conference executive said. ‘Miami believes they can rehabilitate anyone.'”
NBA executives and scouts peg Miami Heat as potential landing spot for Russell Westbrook: heatnation.com/rumors/nba-exe…
It looks likely that Russell Westbrook will continue to be on the LA Lakers roster for the upcoming season. However, if the Lakers can move him at an affordable price and secure a quality role player in return, the potential of Westbrook getting traded remains a legitimate prospect.
According to multiple reports, the Utah Jazz are mentioned as a trade partner. The team is committed to a rebuild. So they will likely reach a buyout agreement with Westbrook and waive him, making him a free agent. The market for the former MVP is at an all-time low, but if there's an opportunity to land him for the veteran's minimum contract, things could change in that regard.
Swap Russell Westbrook for Kyle Lowry .. and the Miami Heat go to the NBA Finals next season!
Miami Heat remain silent this offseason
The Miami Heat seem to have taken a step backward this offseason. They had one of the best summers last year, which helped them finish as the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference. They also made the Conference Finals before losing against the Boston Celtics.
WIN OR GO HOME GAME 7!
The @celtics & @MiamiHEAT battle it out TONIGHT.
Don't miss this... 8:30pm/et on ESPN 🔥 https://t.co/11MQWQOZgv
It was a close contest, despite the Miami Heat dealing with injury issues. Miami arguably had better depth than most teams last campaign. However, that doesn't seem to be the case this time. The Heat lost veteran forward PJ Tucker to the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency and haven't replaced him.
Meanwhile, they were linked to superstars like Kevin Durant and Donovan Mitchell but couldn't make moves due to a lack of assets. The rest of the Miami Heat's conference rivals have continued to improve, which could elevate them to doing better than Jimmy Butler and Co.
The 76ers recently struck a deal to acquire veteran free-agent center Montrezl Harrell, a potential buy-low option the Miami Heat could've opted to sign to bolster their frontcourt depth.
This is a great signing for Philly. PJ Tucker is their backup center in the playoffs, so Trez’s postseason weaknesses don’t mean much.
They needed regular-season energy and competence. They got MLE-caliber production for a minimum salary. Morey continues to kill this offseason. twitter.com/wojespn/status…
No substantial reports have emerged regarding the Miami Heat's activity this offseason of late, and it looks like they are running it back with their current roster minus PJ Tucker.