Will the Miami Heat Trade Jimmy Butler? And is Bam Adebayo Pushing a Move to Power Forward?

Will the Miami Heat Trade Jimmy Butler? And is Bam Adebayo Pushing a Move to Power Forward?

the offseason is in full swing and while Miami has been quiet so far there’s still a lot of questions of what’s Happening behind the scenes is Bam bio planning to change positions can a rival in Milwaukee join the Heat and what do rival Executives think about Jimmy Butler’s future well it ain’t great but we’ll break it all down today’s episode of Locked on heat you are locked on heat your daily Miami Heat podcast part of the locked on on podcast Network your team everyday welcome to locked on heat your everyday podcast on the Miami Heat whether you’re tuning in on YouTube Odyssey or your favorite podcast app thanks for making locked on heat your first listen every day Monday to Friday I’m West Goldberg editor at allou can heat.com here with David rill both of us are credential heat media members and today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel at make every moment more as playoffs wind down the Sports Stop sporting like we want them to but this summer FanDuel is hooking up all customers with a boost or a bonus daily that’s right there’s something for everybody every day all summer long visit fanduel.com lockon to get started we’re going to get to you Donis Haslam’s idea for how to improve the team and a potential trade Target later on but let’s start with the latest on Jimmy Butler when asked who would be the biggest star to change teams this summer The ringers Howard Beck reported that rival Executives have been buzzing about a potential Jimmy Butler trade for months and predicted that he would be the one that’s traded are you surprised David that Howard Beck went with Jimmy Butler over some of the other stars that have been rumored when asked who’s going to be the biggest star on the Move I’m not I think uh one it’s part of their typical ringer esque Round Table where they have a series of questions about the offseason this was one of them and it was posed to several writers who all had their own take on the subject but I think moreover it kind of backs up things that we’ve been hearing there have been Rumblings about Jimmy and potential conflicts with his contract extension for a long time now the fact that Howard was this public about it is the only real difference here but it does show that there’s a lot of scuttle behind the scenes a lot of it has been discussed in terms of Miami falling short of what their expectations were this season the growing concerns about Jimmy’s age and the bigger issue about whether or not Miami wants to pay what is an aging star in Jimmy Butler so I I’m not surprised by this public announcement of Executives kind of buzzing about the possibility that Jimmy is likely to get traded so it’s just something that we’ve talked about fans are very emotional about the subject they’re very tied to the idea of Jimmy Butler being a member of Miami for a long time Jimmy said so as well in an interview with gq’s r nerney we’ve talked about this a number of times but there’s enough smoke here where it’s it’s pretty close to being a fire and we’re going to find out out whether or not everything burns down over the next week or so yeah when when Howard Beck says that Executives has been buzzing about this for months he’s absolutely right it doesn’t mean it’s going to happen it just means that executives are wondering what’s going to how is this going to play out for all of the reasons that you and I have talked about a million times his age the contract the fact that Pat Riley doesn’t seem to be even wanting to negotiate at all with Jimmy Butler and that Jimmy Butler wants all the money and he wants it all right now and when when I mean you and I have been T when when we hear the word buzzing from months I mean we we were hearing stuff in January and February before the trade deadline about like whatever the heat do at the trade deadline there’s potentially a even more Monumental decision to be made this summer right you and I had had conversations in the season about exactly the Jimmy Butler stuff and then Jimmy Butler through his agent comes out and says we want all the money and we want it now and Pat Riley at his end of season press conference says I don’t even want to have this conversation right now and then it all that kind of crescendo to where Executives around the league were saying yeah this feels like it’s going to happen if Pat Riley’s public stance and Jimmy Butler’s public stance are close to their real stances it feels like it’s going to happen I even got on this show and I got some heat for it was saying I kind of expect Jim Butler to get traded because I think a lot of people around the league and that was more of an emotional thing that wasn’t me reporting anything but just that and that was basic but that was a sentiment held by a lot of people around the league was oh this is not going to to end with both Jimmy Butler and Pat riy with a kumbai moment and saying you know what everything’s fine let’s figure out a it felt like it was going to be really hard to forge a future together I do think that that has cooled off a little bit since those initial reports since Pat Riley’s statements uh in his press conference it feels like things have cooled a little bit more there are people around the league that feel like the Heat and Jimmy Butler can hash out an agreement ESPN’s Bobby marks the other day saying that he thinks that a realistic outcome could be Jimmy Butler getting that extra year but it’s less than the max I still have my strong doubts that Jimmy Butler would he said something like a two-year $80 million extension that would basically pay him 40 million a year and I’m like I still don’t see Jimmy Butler giving up 5253 million uh not next year but the year following which is what would have to happen he would have to decline the player option which is worth 52 A5 million and he’s going to replace that with a $40 million contract I again I have my doubts that he’s going to take a12 million haircut the the total of the max extension what 10 something million 11 million yeah yeah okay so he be giving up $33 million which is really hard to do that’s really and people say well well the aggregate value if he took the twoyear $80 million he’d be making another $28 million and I’m like he can make that in free agency if he doesn’t tack on that extra year easy even at age 37 years old like with the cap going up and everything the way it is I think $28 million might be the minimum he could make even as a 37y old 36 year old free agent so um I it’s this is this just uh Tuesdays in Miami as Udonis Haslam always says you know there’s conflict there’s always tension it’s not the kind of overt tension that we see like manifest on the court like when Jimmy yells at SPO or SPO yells at somebody else the kind of friction that comes with highly competitive people in a highly competitive workplace but is there something more to that and and this is might might be why it’s cooled off a little bit you know the the season ended badly Jimmy was hurt was clearly frustrated also again clearly buzzed when he said those comments about if Boston had played I’d be out there and then Pat Riley took upage to it and as well as he should because it’s insulting to the rest of the players that were actually available and were actually trying their best against a better Celtics team and then they kind of just had their public statements they they it was a a public Kur fuffle if you will but now that things have cooled down down a little bit as you said is it just a matter of like right now cooler heads are prevailing a little bit we said what we did we’re frustrated neither of us really want this situation to end but we have to find some kind of tenable Middle Ground here I think I think that’s maybe part of it I also think that just time you know like the Riley statements don’t sting just as much because we’ve had time to digest them a little bit more and yeah Jimmy Butler’s on vacation not really doing any public statements other than showing how he’s a great poker player and on you know playing volleyball Los Angeles or something wherever he is he’s everywhere right now maybe that’s it I just I do this is real you know you mentioned the emotional part of this and it’s such a great point because you know it’s it’s hard it’s hard for even you and I to imagine the heat like that we’ve already seen Jimmy Butler’s last game in a Miami Heat jersey that just seems so hard to comprehend right now but we didn’t think it was going to happen in 2016 when Dwayne Wade left and he left over money he left over a contract dispute nothing else besides the contractor and of course the emotions that kind of that drudges up where Dwayne Wade was the franchise player and he said you don’t yeah you got you need to appreciate me like the the franchise player look at everything that I’ve brought to this franchise but boy doesn’t that sound a lot like what Jimmy Butler’s point is here look at everything I brought to this franchise shepherding the the second greatest era in Miami Heat history everything I brought to you and you don’t want to pay me and guess what Dwayne Wade when he left in for for the Chicago Bulls for a big contract that the Miami Heat weren’t willing to pay him in 2016 he was 34 years old Jimmy Butler is 34 years old now Dwayne Wade played 74 games in his last season before he left that was 14 more games than Jimmy Butler played last year yeah this would not be the first it would not be a it doesn’t take in other words a stretch of the imagination to see Pat Riley say the hell with you I’m not paying you that money I’m not doing it and he’s that’s worded strongly that’s worded a little strong not the hell with you necessarily sure or the hell with your contract demands I should say I’m not I’m not paying you that he draw yeah yeah I think that’s what it is you draw a line as an executive you have a final Point like you can kind of hedge a little bit you want to have again some wiggle room but there has to be a certain point where you say you know what that that just doesn’t align with the ethos and the future that we envision the vision for this franchise is to be competitive and paying you close to $60 million a year for you to miss a bunch of games over the course of the season with our future probably capped because again yes you had great success over the last five seasons but that was last five seasons of Jimmy Butler’s Prime of which right I don’t think anybody can assure is likely to be replicated so you just have to get to a certain point there I I I don’t know how it’s going to play out but it’s it does there seems to be growing Buzz it’s been growing for a long time something has to get near some resolution because as we talked about last week it is the very most important in the first actually it might not be chronologically the first Domino that has to fall but in terms of the structure of how you view this off season it has to very much be0 onea you have to resolve that situation because if not you have to make trades you have to be able to draft somebody who can kind of fill that Gap you don’t want to be caught in a situation where you’re not prepared for the loss of Jimmy Butler yeah and so I’m sure that the front office is probably engaging on many different fronts right now trying to figure out what to do you have to know what you’re going to do do with this Jimmy Butler situation if my thing is either pay him the max or don’t and if you don’t be prepared to trade him and I don’t think that there’s going to be an opport there’s there’s not enough of a timeline here to negotiate and haggle over this because we saw this last summer with Damen Lillard where they’re dealing with this other situation over here and every other potential free agent signing every other trade that you could have pursued all that stuff goes away as the rest of the league operates the rest of the NBA isn’t waiting on you right some of these players that we’re about to talk about later on the show aren’t waiting on you and it I think it would behoove the heat to get something done sooner rather than later on Jimmy Butler and maybe it is just saying okay this is a tough decision but we don’t have a like this was the best years of the Jimmy Butler era and we don’t feel like going down that path anymore and maybe that does turn into a trade and maybe Howard Beck does end up being right so this is a big question here and there’s no right and again I’m gonna say right now we’re speculating here has Pat Riley contacted darl Mor are ready to gauge any kind of potential trade package does he have to kind of he kind of knows what it is right he know Paul George’s there like what the Shams report last week was yeah you know Philadelphia’s waning interest in Paul George not interested in Zack LaVine to me I’m more interested in best right to me is like okay we know that Daryl M’s over here wanting to pay Jimmy Butler and he’s got three first round picks that we could get we kind of that’s that’s the deal who else but yeah who else what is there a better option elsewhere whether it’s from Houston or Golden State or some of these other teams that have been rumored maybe maybe he’s contacted those teams we’ve already seen some trades happen it’s the offseason is starting like we’re here right with the giddy Caruso deal like it’s kicked off did Udonis Haslam reveal the Heat’s biggest offseason need during a TV appearance we’re going to talk about that next year unlocked on heat today’s episode is brought to you by eBay Motors passion drive and patience the formula for winning championships that’s also what keeps your ride or die alive eBay Motors has everything you need to maintain your vehicle and level it up to Peak Performance from supercharges roof racks exhaust kits LED headlights and so much more whether you’re into speed power or style eBay Motors has you covered with over 122 million parts for your number one ride or die you’ll always find exactly what you’re looking for and with eBay guaranteed fit your part is guaranteed to fit your ride every time or your money back because with eBay voors you’re burning rubber and not cash with all the parts you need at the prices you want it’s easy to make your car the MVP and bring home huge wins keep your ride or die alive at ebaymotors.com eligible items only exclusions to apply and eBay guaranteed fit only available to us customers we’ll be right back thanks for making lock on heat your first listen every day Miami Heat talk every day 5 days a week even during the offseason if you’re new to us on YouTube hit that subscribe button you can also follow us on your favorite podcast app before we talk about some of the uh offseason options the Miami Heat may have including a newish pick by ESPN’s mock draft I want to get to this sound from Udonis hlam during an appearance on the Stephen A Smith show uh on Friday the big I look at BAM out of Bio man I’m like he’s I love I love bam but I I I think you need another big body I me personally AG do you feel with that I agree and Bam and Bam agrees as well I think bam knows that you know the center role for him is a role that he can play but um there’s another role that he can play as a power forward and that would allow him to be his best version and he can mature and grow and step away from the basket and shoot threes and do all these things that guys in the NBA are doing right now we definitely need a little bit of size when you talk about Joker andb and all these centers that have guard skill sets but at the end of the day they’re still in a center’s body and that wears on B he’s 69ine 610 and that wears on him over the course of a season so I agree with you we need another big so we’ve heard Haslam make similar comments before think to Stephen A Smith on first take um probably about a month ago that he thought that the heat needed to get another Center and potentially move bamat biot to power forward to me the interesting part of this kind of latest version of it is Bam atab bio agrees with Udonis hin that UD and Bam have had this conversation and Bam is saying hey for me to maybe hit my next level as a as a basketball player I need to play power forward I want to shoot these threes I want to guard on the perimeter I want to be a little bit more versatile defensively be a weak side closeout Defender all these things that to me is very interesting and so the difference between the first take segment a month ago was oh well that’s kind of cool that UD thinks that but that does not necessarily reflect what the front office thinks and I think even Pat Riley uh uh mentioned that during his end of season presser but I’ll ask you this question David does if Bay metab bio believes that he wants to play power forward if he’s or let me if bab wants to play power forward I would imagine he’s maybe communicated that with the coach staff in the front office bam is a franchise player and if he wants to move to power forward do you think that that maybe encourages the team to go in that direction to maybe prioritize not that they haven’t tried finding you know front Court partners with him before but do they maybe move forward this offseason prioritizing hey we need to go find a seven-footer who makes sense with bam in the front court so that bam can play power forward yes I think they have to make that prior but I will disagree that this has been something that he’s discussed with the front office before I think this is kind of speaks to Udonis role with the team over years past when everybody was questioning oh why does he have a contract why is he taking up a Sal you know salary cap Etc this is why because he has the players ear in a way that Pat Riley and Eric spoler and anybody else in that front office never will this is purely anecdotal this is Bam going damn I just can’t hang with these these big boys they got me out there kind of front trying to front Joel embiid and and nicoa yic and it’s killing me it’s killing my knees I I mean it’s way taken away at some of my longevity and he can say these things to Udonis in a way that he can’t say to SPO what does he say to SPO put me in coach I’m a good soldier I’m going to do what’s necessary and that’s what he’s done over the course of his career so I think this is a little back channeling perhaps kind of saying you know what reiterating to Udonis what he’s probably said in the past so that Udonis Maks it no no no hey Pat you got to go out there and get your big man because this is starting to affect the big man you already have on your roster and if you’re going to trade Jimmy’s ass and you’re going to try to make ban the centerpiece of your future well you better try to do what you can to accommodate him and not wear him down prematurely which is something that’s happened like we heard for years about LeBron James not wanting to play power forward what does he play now power forward yeah that’s a a byproduct of age but he didn’t want to deal with it he didn’t want to deal with the grind of having to defend larger players Etc well guess what I think it’s having starting to happen with the BAM bio B bio is not getting older by any stretch but he’s in his what eighth year now and so he has to start thinking long term how do I preserve my body of the 82 game day-to-day grind and this is certainly one way of doing so of getting that big body so to your overall question yes I think Miami does have to start prioritizing getting the right player to play alongside bam which is harder said than done obviously because you have to find somebody who can both stretch the floor unless Bam’s three-point shooting as Udonis alluded to is a realistic development in the future and if not then you’re G to have a default of really poor three-point shooting out there in that starting lineup and I don’t think that’s something sustainable in today’s NBA yeah I think the point of like maintaining the body is a really important one and we’ve ban Metabo is on the record of this saying like even in the finals in 2023 against the Denver Nuggets he didn’t feel like physically he was at the place he needed to be for the heat to win the championship and that a lot of this year was built on sustaining that that physicality that he needs to do and and this is It’s why I’ve said on this show before maybe you don’t need to go out and get like the 2030 million Center who’s going to be but like an option like a real seven-footer who could play next to Bam in certain lineups for you know seven eight 10 minutes a game even that over the course of an 82 Game season could reduce some of that wear and tear on bam I but this to me is interesting now because I I am thinking about okay well what if you do just get a fulltime starting center next to Bam and it isn’t a situational thing and Bam is sort of redefined as a power forward as opposed to a center the physicality part of it is really big and I think that’s definitely a priority of bam when if he’s pushing to be moved to power forward but also the expansion of his game and the other thing that we know about bam The League wide respect right that he wants he wants to be considered a superstar of superstars he wants to be at that level on that tier and right now he just isn’t and part of that is because he has not won a defensive player of the year award yet part of that is because he offensively isn’t at that level that a lot of guys are at but you wonder like if maybe bam is saying well if I’m playing Power Forward maybe I can be offensively something better right like I’ve I’ve done the free throw line jumper I’ve developed some stuff off I I’ve maxed out what I can be as an offensive player at Center but I haven’t come close to maxing out what I could be as an offensive player as a power forward and the other part too is we’ve always had this question of well is Bam reluctant to shoot threes is SPO holding them back like what is it and this to me sounds like okay bam that if he was playing Power Forward there would be more three-pointers available to him and I remember talking with with bam and SPO and stuff last year about how you remember SPO is saying like stop pract stop worrying about getting those Corner threes the ones that are going to be open for you in our offense are the top of the top of the arc off those pick and Pops you know kind of turning those dribble handoffs into three-point shooting uh opportunities for you well if he’s playing power forward all of a sudden the corner becomes open for him right because now you’re moving into different spots on the floor and that corner three as we know is just easier than the straight- on three-pointer from further away and so if you’re unlocking that corner three-pointer that could turn bam into more of a threat from three-point range even if it’s just from the corners I mean that’s a great place to start is from the corners and we’ve seen him hit the above the break threes too it’s not as if he’s not capable of that especially when he steps into him in Rhythm so I I like all of I like it for a lot of reasons and if bam does if he I’m at the point now where I’m saying you know what take the training wheels off from bam anab bio as a three-point shooter let him like let him shoot three or four of them a game enough with the one every once in a while while like let him be a three-point shooter even if he misses him I don’t really care I’d like to see him make three take three or four a game next year and then continually get better at it but if you put him in the corner I think that becomes a lot easier and maybe that decreases the need for that seven-footer in the middle to be a pure three-point shooter although I think even in today’s NBA you would like that you just want everybody to have the ability to shoot threes so I wouldn’t say I wouldn’t necessarily take that off the table either but I’m at the point now David where I want bam pushing to be playing power forward next year if you’re the franchise player if you’re the leader of the team you have the right to say I want to play power forward and here are the reasons why here’s my PowerPoint presentation to the coaching staff and to the front office like here’s 0.1 point2 and point three why I bamat should be playing power forward next year he should do that he should be pushing for it I I think this is all setting up to get that unlocked version of bam bio that so many fans have been clamoring for because it’s all kind of aligning just right with the potential trade of Jimmy Butler with bam moving into a more prominent role as the focal point for the team’s offense like I want to see his face up game from the three-point line improve like driving past fours or big men that get switched on to him having you know maybe the the a wing pick him up and be just roasted by bam as he drives to the Lane because we’ve seen these kinds of things before just unlocking those field goal attempts that he was hesitant to do as the secondary or tertiary or maybe even the fourth option on offense that I think this is all setting up for him to put up all NBA numbers when you think about the fact that he’s not likely to sign that extension once he becomes extension available he’s got a bet on himself and the best way of him doing that is by saying I need a dam ball and I need a dam ball in a position that makes the most of my abilities and if I’m gonna take over this team because Jimmy’s not gonna be here anymore I want it to be at the four where I don’t have to worry about defending bigger players than I do and I can just concentrate on scoring putting up the numbers that everybody’s wanted for me I was playing a role before now it’s time for me to become the Superstar everybody expects me to be and I think next season is setting up for that and if you do move Jimmy because the one hard part about building a team around Jimmy and Bam is that neither of them have been three-point Shooters so everybody else on the floor has to space the court and it does constrict you a little bit as to how you could build out the team around him but if you do move on from Jimmy now you’re talking about instead of two non-shooters being on the court in your most important moments it’s only one in bam andab bio and maybe only one for now right if bam does extend his game to the three-point line but all that stuff is true and I just I wonder like what’s is Bam ceiling it probably is at Power Forward could you imagine him not even offensively where he’s just going to be patting his stats with with you know more threes instead of twos and stuff like that obviously it’ll help but as a Defender now instead of being this lock down kind of Rivas Island type of Defender whose stats or whose impact is almost hard to track statistically if he’s playing the weak side I mean Bam’s greatest ever defensive play was as a weak side Defender coming over and blocking Jason Tatum in the Easter Conference Finals of the bubble that’s his signature defensive play of his career that was not sort of what he’s been asked to do over the last several years is kind of like prevent that from ever happening in the first place like as a backside Defender like that’s just not going to happen but as a weak side Defender he can get those jiren Jackson junior type block numbers right where he’s he’s making that impact now and also doing all those other things and you would still have lineups Jackson doesn’t too yeah and not fouling out or or getting into foul trouble every other night like he would just be a better of Jaren Jr even statistically I think and so cuz we you know I don’t I think everybody that watches the NBA closely believes that Bam’s already better than jiren Jackson Jr but the other part of it too is and I’ve said this a long time is Bam playing Power Forward easier on him I think it is and if you’re the Heat and you’re rebuilding around bam now then your job as a front office is to make your jobs the jobs of your stars easier not harder and one way to make Bam’s job easier is to move him to power forward and that does unlock maybe the defensive player of the year potential more than what it’s been the last years as we’ve seen there’s a cap to what it is that he’s able to prove as a center potentially and then bvp bvp let’s start to that started going right now season hasn’t even started yet we’re already rolling that campaign out we’ve got some options and some ideas of uh how Bam could move to power forward what is the center that would unlock that lineup we’ll talk about that next year unlocked on heat today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel look I love sports obviously we’re doing this show we’ve been doing doing it for over a decade now I love them so much I never want them to stop whether it’s baseball football I tried not to watch as much football but I can’t it keep pulling me back in just like a robt The Godfather to or three rather but anyway as the playoffs wind down we get fewer games and the sports just aren’t sportsing like I want them to but FanDuel lets me keep the sports going whenever I want all I have to do is open the app and dream up bets anytime I’m in the mood and this summer FanDuel is hooking up all customers new ones old ones longtime customers anybody with a boost or a bonus daily that’s right there’s something for everyone every day all summer long so head over to fanduel.com lockon and start making the most out of your summer FanDuel the official sports betting partner of Major League Baseball we’ll be right back thanks for making lockdown heat your first listen every day make sure you’re subscribed on YouTube let us know in the YouTube comments whether you think bam metab bio needs to be moved to power forward or if you think he’s best at Center also do you think Jimmy Butler is going to get traded this summer let us know in the comments also follow us on your favorite podcast app so some options if the heat do make turning moving bam to power forward a priority well how do they do it right they can’t just turn make Kevin Love A Center they tried that didn’t necessarily work and that that’s a great Point here to be made is it’s not as if the heat have not dabbled in options to move bam to power forward in the past right but their priorities om y like they’ve tried even Orlando Robinson was experimenting with that a little bit in training camp stuff like that so um in terms of options this summer though if they do make it a priority there was this report from uh Kevin oconor again from the ringer that there are Rumblings that the Milwaukee Bucks could trade Brook Lopez this summer as they look to maybe play a more versatile style of Defense which I’ve been arguing the buck should be doing anyway to me I would have been targeting Nick Claxton if I were Milwaukee at last trade deadline now that becomes a little bit more difficult cuz he’s restricted free agent they don’t have cap space that’s a locked on Buck problem not ours but if they do move on from Brook Lopez we talked about guys that could play next to Bam in the past he’s seven feet tall he’s has been an elite rim protector in the past he could shoot threes right what Splash Mountain right he shoots threes as well as any Center in the league maybe outside of Carl Anthony towns on paper he makes a lot of sense now whether or not the heat can actually go outad and inquire Brook Lopez is a lot more difficult to figure out but just the Brook Lopez idea what do you think I’m having a hard time trying to justify a reason not to acquire Brook Lopez and I think he just ti so many boxes for Miami in terms of he’s still as you said an elite shot blocker like I mean almost three blocks per game last year per per 36 numbers just as good as they ever have been throughout his career he’s still a legit seven-footer they have not had anyone like this on the roster since Hassan Whiteside in 201 what 17 18 like I mean it’s been a long time since they’ve had anybody kind of put up these kind of numbers and there’s the added benefit as you said of being a 37 38% three-point shooter a guy who can legitimately space the floor and frequently these are a lot of his attempts come from behind the arc it could be a reason why he gets played off to a certain extent because there are limitations those are challenges that you figure out later on you just you talk about options Miami doesn’t have anybody that repes presents the same kind of optionality that Brook Lopez presents so if you’re looking at his age being a concern 36 years old 36 years old it’s a legitimate thing like there there are concerns that he can continue to play at a high level but I think he addressed those for the most part last year he was hurt there’s the possibility of him getting hurt I think that’s anybody in the NBA regardless of how old you might be and yes there’s increased possibility of that been he’s been durable he played 79 games last year 78 the year before that I mean he played he has played outside of was it 21 22 where he had I forget what injury it was but it basically sign lined him for the whole regular season but that was a severe injury he’s basically played 70 plus games every year for most of his career so I I was remembering yeah I thought I thought last year was a a year where he was beset by injury but that was other bucks players but yeah no it’s he’s a great option I really and a guy who is intelligent High basketball IQ would understand one a championship one a I was getting to that but yeah absolutely no no no no there again there’s just so many different things to like about Brook Lopez on the pros side of things on the cons is he’s 36 that’s it that’s it his contract comes off the books you can resign them at a better deal yeah I mean his is the last year of his contract you can resign them at a better deal for age 37 38 assuming he even wants to play if not it gives you the kind of salary cap flexibility that so many fans are hoping for it’s just hard to again justify not acquiring him so I think if if Miami has any possibility of doing so I think they should try and pursue it now given that he’s making $23 million next year what’s the right trade asset or is it a three- team deal guy okay just I you’re in terms of the cons yes it’s the fact that he’s 36 years old again I I but I’m with you on that like it’s not just because you could look at it and say well you only do that if you’re keeping Jimmy right and it’s like well I no he’s in the last year of his contract if the goal is to move bam to power forward then you get Brook Lopez now and then maybe you draft somebody or figure somebody else out or somebody behind Brook Lopez that could be groomed to being the next Brook Lopez but the idea is no there’s value in just moving bam to power forward because we want to develop him in that position he could be the next Giannis right playing along could be the next gu I suppose um it’s a pretty high those are pretty high expectations but um yeah I would be going for it to your point at $23 million the price tag is not bad you’ve got three guys making around that kind of money t Rosier Tyler herro Duncan Robinson I don’t know what like T Rosier doesn’t make a whole lot of sense for Milwaukee uh tah hero You could argue make some sense there I don’t know that that’s where the Bucks want to go with their roster it feels like maybe they want to if they want to get more versatile defensively adding tah hero isn’t exactly the way to do that no so but I do wonder if there’s something like Duncan Robinson in terms of okay well he’s not going to help us defensively but we always need shooting and spacing around Giannis and Duncan Robinson would be the best three-point shooter we’ve had probably ever during the Giannis era as good as guys have been in the past like even Pon a Razer look at this I mean paton’s fine but he’s no Duncan Robinson from three-point range I’m joking okay um so Grayson Allen was fine but he’s had better years in Phoenix so I I think um I I think I would explore it or maybe it’s something that you know you move Brook Lopez on an expiring contract to a third team or to another team and then Miami gets him from the third team like the Drew holiday situation maybe something like that happens maybe it’s a three- team deal outright where somebody sends a more versatile Center Milwaukee’s way Brooke Lopez comes to Miami and then one of those bigger contracts goes to that third team but if I’m the heat I’m on I’m on the the phone with uh John hor and the Milwaukee Bucks and I’m trying to figure out a way like hey we want Brook Lopez do we have anything that you’re interested in if not what third team can we what are you looking for and can we get on a call with them to maybe work something out you got an idea Nick claxon sign in trade Brooklyn a viable trade partner Nick claxon to Milwaukee Brook Lopez to Miami and Tyler hero to Brooklyn as has been long theorized so I tried this exact idea in the trade machine last week and it does it gets complicated because of the sign and trade with Nick Claxton and it it would hard cap Milwaukee oh and I but that might not be an issue that might not be an issue for Milwaukee that hard cap is pretty high I think what what Kei Smith tell us it was like $189 million but that would just be a factor that Milwaukee would have to consider is do we really think that we are going to be hitting that 189 million Mark or not and they tended not to go above that so maybe that wouldn’t be a concern for them and they would be getting their center of the future future Nick Laxton who is such a good fit for exactly what they want to be doing I love the idea I love the idea so that’s where I’m at um other options too if they can’t get Brook Lopez what are some other options that the heat can that the Heat have ESPN in their latest mock draft went back to Miami taking Zach Edy at 15 and there’s definitely limitations with Zach Edy you and I have discussed this in our blue notebook scouting report on him and all these things the one thing that you know he is is huge big and he will protect the rim and he will move bam to power forward if you start him so and I of all the limitations on Zack Ed I keep coming back to this and this is not just in terms of the the viability of the heat drafting him this is why I think Zak is gonna end up in the top 15 in the draft is yeah it’s just really hard to find humans that size can’t really you can’t it’s so hard and the NBA is a is a league that self- selects for height it is just it is the most important thing uh when it when it comes down to it at the end of the day and I just think that some team is going to be like it’s just really hard to find a guy this big and we can just draft them and we just know at the end of the day some of these other guys might not pan out but no matter what Zack e is going to be 7 foot4 with a s foot 10 wingspan whatever he is he’s going to be a huge human being that we’re going to have on the roster and we just have a really hard time finding that elsewhere and we can just pick it we can you’re telling me we can leave draft night with one of the biggest players in the league we can just we can have that I just think some team whether it’s the heater or another team is going to just pull that trigger and if he’s there at 15 and Miami says we need to move bam to power forward here’s a really easy way to do it we can just do it right here and just take Edy and they have worked out Edy so if Zach Ed has shown that he’s capable of shooting those three-pointers which by the way he has great touch in the paint way better touch than bam like Natural Touch like great Elite touch in the paint and his right can make the saus yeah yeah exactly and and if you’re thinking about a bam out of Bio future he’s younger maybe it’s both maybe you go get Brook Lopez and you let Zack Ed be the the be mentored Underneath Him groomed under he’s like Brook Lopez be like this is how I did it Young fella as he as he’s looking up at Zach Ed even though Brook Lopez is seven foot one yeah that’ be a great conversation to witness I’d love that I I’m starting to come around on it I mean it just seems like such an a natural fit might that be the right idea but if you’re going to try and and and fill an obvious Gap in terms of size the draft might be just the easiest way to do it any other veteran that you could acquire who was already playing in the NBA has their flaws whether it’s age or some others but if you’re looking to fill that like with legit size as many people as are saying oh donon Holmes no offense or E Mei or Adam Bona it’s like you’ve got legit size like Ed is going to fill that Gap and and you’re gonna have some spill over there in that sense and if you’re GNA change the defensive round if you’re going to change the roster around and you’re gonna try and maximize bam at the four he’s a good option I got another name Nia vuich yeah I I you know I’ve been banging that drum for a while Chicago has a way of like taking the life out of everybody so I kind of a test to what what we’ve seen from him over the last few years as just the Bulls being the Bulls and just kind of you know being the dementor of the NBA and just stealing your spirit so everything’s cold and dead around you um at the same time like he is 33 but he’s a he’s still a floor spacer and I think there would be some kind of like we we like Brook Lopez Brook Lopez was a castoff in this league like people forget like that what was it half a season he spent with the Los Angeles Lakers where he wasn’t particularly good and that wasn’t a very good Lakers team and then all of a sudden he’s he goes to the Bucks it’s like oh yeah I remember what I’m playing for I’m playing to win and I have a team that wants to win imagine if Vu under goes that same kind of revitalization where he’s like all of a sudden here in Miami he’s like you know in Orlando I got to see up close how how how Miami operates how they do things differently than I ever did in Orlando or in Chicago now I get to go to a real team with a real steady consistent FR an office that wants to win that could unlock V in a way that we haven’t seen since his All-Star campaign with the magic yep vich uh he’s $20 million next year 21 and a half the year before the year after that that’s not that much though I mean when you look at some these other numbers that are out there that’s about the running rate for a starting center $20 million a year um statistically he had an awful year for for for the Bulls last year but like you just said and it’s such a great Point like it’s the Bulls they all just sort of sucked last year so like how much of that was like and and some of it was just the three-pointer wasn’t going in for him last year he shot uh 29% from three-point range last year but has was 35% the year before that 31% year before that 39% 4% 40% he’s a legitimate three-point shooter he’s a good rebounder not not as big as Brook Lopez but he’s 6 11-ish yeah definitely bigger than some of the other options that Miami has had to me that’s a real name that would be on my board if I were the heat if I can’t get Brook Lopez and I’m not a believer in Zach EDI then like vich to me makes some sense and is it could you get him for something cheap considering he’s coming off of a poor year some people do do look at the contract as a bad one you and I agree I don’t think it’s horrible unless he keeps playing the way he did last year then it’s horrible but I would trust him to be better defensively too in Miami than he was in Chicago also yes you play him in a drop defense scheme with bam atabo as that as the help backline Defender all of a sudden it’s it’s sort of the same thing where Brook Lopez was a little he could get played off the floor in certain systems but you put him next to Giannis and just play him and play him in drop and just say hey your job is to stand here don’t let anybody get past you that’s it yeah then all of a sudden it becomes a lot easier to play that position so I would I would be I would call the Bulls about vich I don’t know what it would be would it just be Duncan Robinson vvu straight up would it just be something like that you know like Duncan makes a lot of sense in Chicago for a lot of reasons they need as much floor possible especially now with giddy yeah they just acquired giddy they moved off Kuser they’re looking to move LaVine maybe even to the Sacramento Kings like I mean I I think you might have to expand the trade and find another way of making it happen they’re looking to acquire Kevin Herer from Sacramento in exchange for LaVine so they wouldn’t need Tyler hero necessarily although it’s not like those two couldn’t play uh at some point either one of them as a backup or not you’ve got your your Elite six-man and Tyler if you wind up training him I don’t know I I think it would be a bad TR makes is that’s that’s not great value for Miami that it’s hard to take now if you find something else on the Chicago side or someone else that you can add to that maybe you start to consider it I it it could just be the salary dump everybody’s looking for and kind of got to hit the refresh button a lot sooner but I don’t I don’t know I don’t know I don’t know what Tyler’s right value is around the league although it’s probably a lot higher than Nicola vich yeah yeah I think you’re you’re probably right maybe it takes a third team unless you know the Bulls are over the moon in love with Duncan Robinson and the heater willing to make that kind of move I don’t know but uh he should be on the list so Brook Lopez Nicola vich maybe it’s the draft of Zack EDI maybe they love khle W who they also worked out that could be an option there at number 15 as well there reports that Detroit could be shopping Isaiah Stewart I don’t know that functionally that’s the same size he’s again one of those smaller guys more of like a Naas Reed kind of power forward than he is like a traditional Center 68 I like I like big stew just fine um but probably not this the exact kind of size that you’re looking for uh in terms of no a huge upgrade there so uh but those are just some of the names that are out there but for now that’ll do it for us today thanks for making lockdown heat your first listen every day like comment and subscribe on YouTube follow us on your favorite podcast app

The Ringer’s Howard Beck reported that Rival executives have been buzzing about a potential Jimmy Butler trade for months and predicted that he’d be traded. Are the Miami Heat preparing to trade their star? Plus, is Bam Adebayo pushing to play power forward next season?

Wes Goldberg and David Ramil discuss Miami’s summer and some potential targets.

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