The idea of acquiring Damian Lillard has been keeping Miami Heat fans on the edge of their seats throughout the NBA offseason. As many of us already know, the Portland Trail Blazers star has finally requested a trade from his team and has made his wishes to join the Heat very clear to the public.
While Lillard has certainly done enough to be allowed to choose his preferred destination, it remains unclear if this trade will come to fruition, especially since the Heat doesn’t have the best trade packages to offer the Blazers in return for getting Dame.
Therefore, Pat Riley and the Heat should be ready to consider a reality where they are unable to get Lillard. That would mean they will have to be on the lookout for other players that could help get their team over the hump and to win an NBA championship. With that being said, let us take a closer look and find out which other players the Heat are looking to acquire if their trade talks for Damian Lillard fall through.
Are the Miami Heat are interested in acquiring Chrisitan Wood and Kelly Oubre Jr?
It turns out that the Miami Heat organization has a few backup options if they are unable to successfully make a trade for Damian Lillard. Although Dame would certainly be an ideal fit when paired alongside Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, recent reports indicate that the Heat is also looking to pursue Christian Wood and Kelly Oubre Jr.
Miami Heat interested in Christian Wood, per sources pic.twitter.com/t0v8MeOVqc
— HEATCentral (@_HeatCentral) February 7, 2023
While neither of those players are point guards like Lillard is, they offer a much better defense when compared to the Blazers star. Christian Wood was cut by the Dallas Mavericks after underperforming and not living up to set expectations. On the other hand, Kelly Oubre Jr had a good season with the Charlotte Hornets and could provide a bit more for the Heat on both ends of the floor.
Miami has already traded away key pieces to their roster such as Max Struss and Gabe Vincent. Although Christian Wood and Kelly Oubre Jr wouldn’t be able to fill their roles perfectly, their contracts are significantly less when compared to Lillard. Therefore, it might just be possible for the Heat to recruit both of them and also have enough cap space to make a few other moves.
In any case, it is good to see that the Heat have a few other options in the event that they are unable to trade for Damian Lillard. We look forward to seeing what their roster looks like next season.
