Trade discussions between the Miami Heat and Portland Trail Blazers regarding Damian Lillard have kept NBA fans occupied and entertained throughout this long NBA offseason. To those who might still be unaware of what is going on, the Portland Trail Blazers star finally requested a trade from his team and made it clear that he wants to join the Miami Heat in order to contend for a title.
Although this trade request and news broke out several months ago, nothing concrete has emerged at the moment. However, many members of the basketball community feel that it is only a matter of time before the Heat find a way to trade for Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers.
Under the assumption that they are on the verge of securing Lillard, the Miami Heat are calculating which other players should be put on the court to start for the Heat next season. With that being said, let us take a closer look at recent reports on the subject.
The Miami Heat plan to start Kevin Love at power forward next season
Veteran NBA fans will remember a lot about Kevin Love. He played a huge role in helping LeBron James and Kyrie Irving bring a coveted NBA championship to the Cleveland Cavaliers back in 2016. The Cavs decided to retain him until the 2021-2022 season and only recently agreed to send him to the Miami Heat.
Although Love is listed at only 6’8, he is capable of playing both the power forward and center positions. When we add his shooting abilities to that, it makes him quite a valuable asset for the Heat. Throughout his NBA career, Kevin Love has averaged 16.9 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists.
He also shot an efficient 37% from the three-point line. While his numbers have declined with the Heat last season, the franchise plans to have him as its starting power forward for training camp and possibly next season. While Kevin has certainly proven himself as a certified star in the league, many fans were worried upon hearing about this decision by the Heat.
The Heat appear to be content with Kevin Love as their starting power forward heading into training camp (@AmicoHoops). pic.twitter.com/6mwYqGekXH
— Vice City Alerts (@ViceCityAlerts) September 12, 2023
We certainly can’t blame them. After all, Kevin Love only averaged 8.2 points and 6.4 rebounds last season and might not be the best person on the squad to start. However, we should remember that all of this is under the assumption that the Heat gets Lillard. In that case, having an experienced Kevin Love on the court with him, Jimmy Butler, and Bam Adebayo might just be a recipe for success.