In what became a “high-stakes stare down,” the Miami Heat refused to budge in trade talks with the Toronto Raptors for point guard Kyle Lowry, according to Ira Winderman of the South-Florida Sun Sentinel.
But that’s OK. The Heat came away with standout guard Victor Oladipo anyway.
Oladipo was acquired just before Thursday’s trade deadline, the Heat sending power forward Kelly Olynyk and guard Avery Bradley to the Houston Rockets in exchange.
First, though, the Heat tried to pull off a deal with the Raptors for Lowry.
Toronto was looking for a younger player such as guard Tyler Herro or small forward Duncan Robinson, a price Miami was clearly unwilling to pay.
The Heat then dangled Olynyk and Bradley — two veterans with expiring contracts. Those contracts were appealing to the Rockets, who have entered full rebuild mode (sans point guard John Wall).
Oladipo also has an expiring deal, but word is, he would lead toward signing with the Heat this offseason no matter where he ended up at the trade deadline.
With that in mind, the Heat have an excellent chance to keep Oladipo next to Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and the rest of the defending Eastern Conference champs for some time.
More out of Miami
- Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters that trades are never easy, especially for players who liked their current situation. “I’m sure there’s a lot of emotions for everybody, and the range of emotions are different, depending on what your circumstance is. And that’s a reality,” Spoelstra said.
- In case you missed it, the Heat also acquired forward Nemanja Bjelica from the Sacramento Kings for small forward Maurice Harkless and power forward Chris Silva. Bjelica may have only needed a change of scenery, and the Heat are expecting him to be an instant contributor off the bench.
- After adding Oladipo, Bjelica and small forward Trevor Ariza in recent weeks, the Heat may not be finished. As ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first noted, the Heat are the frontrunners for veteran power forward LaMarcus Aldridge, who reached a contract buyout with the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday. Aldridge must wait 48 hours to clear waivers before signing with a new team.
