Inside The Heat

Miami Heat Must Now Hope To Avoid James Harden Situation With Damian Lillard

With the Philadelphia 76ers reportedly expecting to keep James Harden, the Miami Heat could face similar fate with Damian Lillard and Portland Trail Blazers
Shandel Richardson|
Miami Heat Must Now Hope To Avoid James Harden Situation With Damian Lillard
Miami Heat Must Now Hope To Avoid James Harden Situation With Damian Lillard

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Miami Heat

The Miami Heat are probably cringing from afar as they watch the James Harden situation unfold with the Philadelphia 76ers. 

After Harden wanted out earlier this summer, it was reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski the 76ers "have ended trade talks." The Sixers feel they can still compete for a championship with Harden alongside Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris. 

The Heat are in a similar situation with Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard. He requested a trade July 1 to Miami but nothing has materialized. Both teams have failed to prepare a proper package for the deal. 

With six weeks left before the start of training camp, the Heat are running out of time to make a move. They have yet to make a significant offseason acquisition because the Lillard situation held up talks. 

Even without Lillard, the Heat are still considered a contender. They made the NBA Finals last year despite missing third-leading scorer Tyler Herro most of the playoffs. A healthy Herro should keep the Heat in contention but teams such as the Boston Celtics improved during free agency while the Milwaukee Bucks are back at full strength after Giannis Antetokounmpo's back injury last postseason. 

The thing the Heat have on their side is the Trail Blazers are unable to offer Lillard a chance to play for a contender. That means they are more than likely to deal him rather than keep an unhappy superstar. 

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Shandel Richardson covers the Miami Heat for Inside The Heat.

TWITTER: @ShandelRich

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star. TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here

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