Gilbert Arenas Says Letting Gabe Vincent, Max Strus Walk Could Prevent Damian Lillard Trade

Gabe Vincent and Max Strus were key contributors during the Miami Heat's NBA Finals run last season.

On a recent episode of the GilsArena Podcast, retired All-Star Gilbert Arenas said he believes the Heat should have re-signed them so they could use them as trade bait.

"Miami f---d up when [they let Strus & Vincent walk]. Those guys started. For negotiating purposes, you [needed them]," Arenas said. "You’re supposed to sign them back and then use them in a trade. Versus just letting them go now you don’t have those pieces as bargaining chips. I would’ve signed them back 30/30, and then boom."

The context surrounding Arenas’ statement was what Miami should do if they fail to land Portland Trailblazers guard Damian Lillard. He claims they would be unable to trade for another star, such as Joel Embiid or James Harden due to a lack of assets.

Strus and Vincent were crucial to the success Miami had last postseason. The Heat lost them in free agency for nothing except slight cap flexibility.

Arenas pointed out that even if the Heat’s front office did not want to keep them, they could have been used as "bargaining chips" to acquire an All-Star. It should be noted Miami still holds many valuable assets, including Tyler Herro, Caleb Martin, Nikola Jovic, and Jaime Jaquez Jr.

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Anthony Pasciolla is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He can be reached at anthonypasciolla36@gmail.com or follow him on Tik Tok @anthonysports_