Damian Lillard is on the brink of joining the Miami Heat — at least according to NBA news headlines. At this point, however, there appears to be no real movement in the trade negotiations between the Heat and the Portland Trail Blazers, who for their part, seem perfectly fine with letting this saga draw out.
One thing that is clear is that Boston Celtics icon Paul Pierce is a non-believer of Dame’s potential benefit for the Heat. The Hall of Famer has come out with a bold take that Miami is going to fare worse than they did this past season if they acquire Lillard.
NBA News: Paul Pierce Not A Fan Of Damian Lillard Trade For Heat
According to Pierce, the Heat will need to gut their roster in order to make a deal work for Lillard. The Celtics icon believes that this would be a fatal error for Miami — one that will have dire consequences for them this season:
“Miami was a play-in team (last year),” Pierce said. “… If you just add Dame, this team won’t make it out of the first round with [Lillard, Jimmy Butler, and Bam Adebayo] with no depth.”
.@Tmac_213 and @paulpierce34 debate how far Miami can go if they get Damian Lillard. 👀
Watch our live show from @bluewirepods on YouTube NOW: https://t.co/XVCZVrUGNh pic.twitter.com/hl1MVPqgJw
— SHOWTIME Basketball (@shobasketball) July 13, 2023
Pierce’s argument is anchored on the notion that Miami won’t be able to add the necessary pieces around their new Big 3. Unsurprisingly, the former 10-time All-Star took some heat on the mean streets of Twitter for his hot take.
On Friday, Pierce responded to the criticism by calling out the “casual fans” who failed to understand what he was trying to explain. The 45-year-old then doubled down on his anti-Lillard take:
“To acquire a player like that, you’re going to lose so much of the other pieces you had that helped you get to where you needed to go,” Pierce said.
.@paulpierce34 responds to the criticism of his viral Miami Heat take from yesterday’s live show.
We are LIVE from NBA Summer League now on YouTube: https://t.co/qFlve73IOv pic.twitter.com/p1vhQiE3WO
— SHOWTIME Basketball (@shobasketball) July 14, 2023
Does he have a point? Are the Heat really going to be that bad with Damian Lillard in the mix?
NBA News: Heat Are Going To Be A Problem For Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks have to be invested in all this. They’re not in the mix for Lillard, but if Miami is able to successfully lure the seven-time All-NBA guard to South Beach, then it’s going to be an issue for Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co.
The Bucks struggled against a Lillard-less Miami side last year as the Heat took them out in the first round of the playoffs. Pierce does have a point about Miami losing its depth this season, but it’s hard not to imagine how dominant a Big 3 of Dame, Butler, and Adebayo is going to be.
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