Miami Heat: Why ‘nothing’ says a ton about potential CJ McCollum interest

The Miami Heat are probably knee-deep in scouting reports, trade scenarios, and the rumor wire right now. Needing to get better, but only by another potential impact player or so mostly, the Miami Heat are one lever-pull or button-push away from being right back in the throws of contention.

While there are many names that have emerged as potential additions to the Miami Heat, Kyle Lowry, Collin Sexton, Kevin Love, and Damian Lillard among them, no one has emerged as a leader or most likely addition out of that bunch. With the latest reports that are circulating about one pairing of team and player, in particular, it says a lot about the Miami Heat.

The most interesting, yet likely revealing, thing about it all is this. It says absolutely nothing about the Miami Heat, sort of.

The Miami Heat should be on the market for another impact guy to add to the roster. However, they are not in on this one… or so it appears.

According to Jason Quick of The Athletic (subscription required), the Portland Trail Blazers don’t plan to move their second-man, CJ McCollum, for draft picks. Well, that tells you all you need to know about the Miami Heat and where they might stand in those rumors.

They can’t be apart of that one because, well, they don’t own any draft picks for this upcoming draft and you’d think that a pick in the upcoming draft is a starter in those conversations. While it screams that they are probably not in on these talks for or want to deal for CJ McCollum, it does, kind of, hint at something else.

If Pat Riley, Andy Elisburg, and the Miami Heat seek to do business with the Portland Trail Blazers, it’ll be for one guy and for one guy specifically. As it should be, they seem to only be interested in Damian Lillard, if any real interest exists at all.

But, how could it not? If there was a shot that Dame is moved or made available to teams via trade, any team and especially the Miami Heat, should be all in on him. For what it’s worth, that’s one of the only moves that seems likely that’ll be worth moving Tyler Herro.

You were thinking about it, so, there. In any situation, the Miami Heat should continue to be players in most rumors that you hear.

That doesn’t seem to be the case here for CJ McCollum though and well… good. If they are going to go, why not go big?