With the Miami Heat in hot pursuit of Damian Lillard after personally requesting to be traded to them, rumors have been constantly circulating. One prominent rumor is the possibility of a third team getting involved, more specifically, the Brooklyn Nets.
The Nets were a team rumored to be in the Damian Lillard sweepstakes, but they don’t have the firepower to field a contender if they traded for him, especially if forced to give up valuable pieces for him.
However, their motivation to get involved in this trade would be to shed one of the worst contracts in the league: Ben Simmons.
With the Nets wanting to shed Simmons and his contract and take on Tyler Herro, a player the Blazers are reportedly not interested in, that would lead people to believe a fourth team to get involved to take Simmons and picks. However, what if the Miami Heat decided to take on Simmons instead?
At first, this thought might seem like a crazy one. Why would a contending team ruin all flexibility by taking on one of the most crippling contracts currently in the league according to both experts and fans? However, I can think of five reasons why the Heat should do it, especially if they feel acquiring Lillard is a must.