The Miami Heat's offseason priorities could suddenly change again if it's indeed true that there's a chance Damian Lillard could be ready to go by the midway point of the 2025-26 season. According to Marc Spears' is reporting, there is speculation that Lillard could be back around the All-Star break.
Whether or not that's actually a realistic recovery time for Lillard remains to be seen, but it could add another wrinkle to the Heat's offseason approach. After missing out on Kevin Durant, the overwhelming belief was that the Heat would be looking to embrace their youth movement.
However, now that another star player could be attainable for them, you can't help but wonder if their priorities will change once again. It's probably a bit premature to think of the possibilities, but there's at least some mutual interest on both sides. How much interest remains to be seen, especially considering that Lillard is going to have plenty of options as a free agent.
Add in the fact that money is not going to be an issue for any team pursuing Lillard, and his possibilities are endless.
Should the Heat strongly pursue Lillard?
Of course, the big question for the Heat revolves around whether they should strongly pursue Lillard or not. This seemed like a no-brainer plan for Miami a couple of years ago. However, much has changed since then. Jimmy Butler is no longer a member of the Heat, they're not much of a contender in the Eastern Conference with their current roster, and Lillard is not in his prime (anymore) and will be coming off an Achilles injury.
Unlike it would've been in 2023, this is not a move that is going to catapult the Heat to elite contender status in the East. There's not even a guarantee that this potential addition would raise the team's ceiling all that much, mostly because it'd be impossible to know what to expect from Lillard as he recovers from such a devastating injury.
Nevertheless, if it's an option on the table, and if it is one that wouldn't cost the Heat a ton, it's certainly something that should be explored. And I'd imagine Miami is going to do their research into Lillard through some healthy backchannelling.
And to be perfectly honest, it will be interesting to see what the approach ends up being for the Heat.
Maybe this all ends up being moot and Lillard would much rather play for a clear championship contender at this point in his career. If that were the case, you wouldn't be able to blame Lillard.
However, if Lillard genuinely wants to sign in Miami, what will the Heat do? This is one of those moves that, for better or can alter a team's offseason and direction heading into next season.