Miami Heat’s Missed TRADE Targets HAUNT Jimmy Butler Era

Miami Heat’s Missed TRADE Targets HAUNT Jimmy Butler Era

Among the many regrets from the Jimmy Butler era were several players that the Heat failed to acquire via trade. So, we’ll draft each missed opportunity before delving into the top 10 players in Heat history on today’s episode of Locked on [Music] Heat. You are Locked on Heat, your daily Miami Heat podcast, part of the Locked On podcast network. Your team every day. All right, welcome to Locked on Heat, your daily podcast on the Miami Heat. Whether you’re tuning in on YouTube or on your favorite podcast app, thanks for making Lockdown Heat your first listen every day. I’m Wes Goldberg here with David Ramil. Both of us are credentialed Heat Media members who cover this team every day for daily content on the Heat. Click that subscribe button on YouTube. Make sure you are following us on your podcast app. Have a very fun show for you today. We’re going to ask ChatGpt about the greatest Heat players of all time. First, it’s Friday, which means it’s time for our weekly draft. And this week, we’re drafting the players that you wish the Heat would have traded for during the Jimmy Butler era in order to maximize that area, possibly even win a championship. So, we got two simple rules uh before we jump into this thing. Number one, the player actually had to get traded between the window of when Jimmy Butler got here in the summer of 2019 and when he left at the deadline this year. So that player actually had to get traded in order to be eligible. That’s rule number one. Rule number two, the timing of when these players were available and were traded and the context around that matters. For instance, would have been great to have Damen Lillard in 2021, but he wasn’t available in 2021. He was available in the summer of 2023. Kevin Durant wasn’t available the summer of 2023. He was available at the trade deadline in 2023. So that stuff that might come into play, maybe it doesn’t, but all those things are important. Those are the rules. David, like we did it last time, we’ll start with a coin flip. Uh, call it heads or tails. Tails never fails. Didn’t fail you last time. And it is Tails again. You get the first pick. Wow. You’re on a roll here. Two two weeks in a row. This is not so easy. I I really don’t know what direction to go in. And I I think that’s part of the fun of this exercise is that all these players probably would have helped to a great degree during the respective moments when they were traded. But I I’m trying to think like of all the players here, I honestly thought you would wind up with the first pick. So I was already kind of just like expecting to wind up with a second pick. But I think I think of all the players that were traded during the last five and a half years of the Jimmy Butler era, the player that I think would have been the best fit for this particular incarnation of the Heat team and their chances of winning the best or the most had they acquired him. I’m gonna go with Donovan Mitchell. It’s a good pick. It’s a good pick. So, but that’s not the the clear consensus for first pick for you. Um, no. I had somebody else, but I mean, Donovan Mitchell makes a lot of sense. So, he’s traded from Utah to Cleveland in 2022. That’s the moment you mean, right? Or Yes. Cuz that’s when he was traded. Obviously, he ressigned with Cleveland this past summer, but he wasn’t traded. So, that doesn’t So, you’re talking about 2022, that summer when Utah traded him to Cleveland, right? And you just were the Heat were just eliminated the Eastern Conference Finals. Mhm. will go on to have this magical finals run without Tyler Hero, but assuming that Hero probably would have been a significant part of any package to acquire Mitchell in the first place. Uh it didn’t really matter. But had you had Mitchell and his kind of I mean historic po postseason production, um I feel pretty confident saying that you definitely win a championship in 2023. You might even beat you put Donovan Mitchell on the 2023 Heat and they beat the Nuggets in the 2023 championship. That’s what you you believe. Absolutely. I think so. Absolutely. I think I don’t know if Jokic was so good and that team was so good. It It’s not It’s not a fiveame series. I think that series goes six or seven and it’s super competitive. But I’m not as sold on them definitely winning that series as you are. I think it it it just I think it’s closer. I think he gives him a chance, but I I’m not sure it’s a sure thing. I mean, remember how anemic their offense just became? Jimmy was hobbled a little bit like it was just not quite the series it was supposed to have been. And I I think when you you’ve got a guy who can go for 50 in the course of a playoff game and that was the edge that you need. I mean, I think he’s toasting Jamal Murray all day long to be honest with you. So, I mean, can Davis Cwell Pope, Christian Brown, like who on that team is going to stop Donovan Mitchell from getting those points? And if that’s the case, then you had Jimmy Bam, Gabe Vincent, Max Struce, etc. Like assuming whatever the whatever that roster would have looked like after you acquire Donovan Mitchell. And not just that, but I I am also looking longterm like I think not only would they have 123, I think they would have been competitive in 2024. I don’t know that Boston makes the moves they do to get, you know, the guys that they do and and I don’t know that they win the championship in 2024. I think have a player like Mitchell to kind of ascend and reach his peak in Miami alongside Bamabio while Jimmy continues to kind of decline. Maybe he doesn’t force his way out. Maybe he understands that, you know, I want a chip here. Um I’m going to continue to compete for championships here and he becomes more of that robin roll as maybe Miami is more willing to give him the extension if you’ve got Donovan Mitchell under contract. And the timing of that part of it is interesting too because Mitchell was up for his new contract the same summer Jimmy Butler was up for an extension this past summer. So you would obviously have you had you traded for Donovan Mitchell in 2022, you’re giving him the max contract that Cleveland gave him this past summer. And then once you do that, you’ve got Donovan Mitchell in that Batman role. And then at and then I think you just I think you just extend Jimmy Butler. And we’re not even talking about that. I think it’s the right pick now that we’re talking about it. Um because it pro it opens up that window for a couple of years. You get Donovan Mitchell right in Jimmy Butler’s peak playoff Jimmy prime. Yeah. And that’s the key here. And that’s what I think that’s what makes it the better pick than my pick now that I have the second pick. I’ll go Damen Lillard 2023. And that that probably gives you one or two years there. And frankly, I just I don’t know what Jimmy Butler had left in the tank. We just saw it with Golden State. It didn’t seem like a whole lot. So, are we talking about a one-year window, a two-year window versus the Donov Mitchell window, which might have been a two or a three-year window. And then if you have Mitchell and you no longer have Jimmy Butler also on the other side of that, it’s okay. Well, at least we have Donov Mitchell and Bam Adabio and you could start building around those two. Whereas Damen Lillard is also aging as we’re seeing in Milwaukee now. May he, you know, butterfly effect. Maybe he never tears his Achilles if he’s in Miami instead of Milwaukee or whatever. But um I still think had you come off that 2023 finals lost, figured out a way to get Damen Lillard, I think that team at least goes on a run in 2024. I don’t know if they win the championship, but I know they’re a heck of a lot better and and I know that and I think it’s probably so I think I don’t think Jimmy Butler gets traded. I think you’ve got Damen Lillard in that Batman role in that at least number one scoring role. Jimmy Butler’s sort of your anchor uh your two-way anchor. for Babio’s anchor in your defense. I just think the team makes a lot of sense. So, I’ll go Lillard number two. It’s a great pick. Um, it kind of feels reminiscent of some of the moves that the the Celtics made in 2024 to propel them to their championship like that was or 23, I guess that was the year that they did it. But, you know, just to like you’re there, you feel like you’re there and coming off of the finals run, you fall short. And that was like that was the summer of the heat. Like that nobody had seen what they had been able to do. It was a historic run for them and I think a lot of people were just really sold on that version of the team. They were they were as fun a team. Like as much as we’re seeing the buzz now about Indiana, I think it was just as high if not even higher about that Miami team because it was just like the zombie heat. How do they keep doing this? There was just so many different angles for for the NBA fan base to look at it. And they just kept winning and they were playing good basketball, too. It wasn’t just like they were grifting their way to it or anything like that. They were really I mean and with Jimmy playing at such a high level Bam Jimmy made it’s weird Jimmy made the superstar leap at 33 32 33 years old how but it was like that’s when he sort of became that household name and started Yeah. Like you just look at commercials before and after. Yeah. Yeah. I know. Yeah. For Jimmy Butler.com doesn’t know who Jimmy Butler is. He doesn’t have the MLO Ultra ads yet. He doesn’t have any of that stuff yet. Um until then. All right. So, I think these were the two obvious picks. I I you probably could have went in any order. I think you were right taking Mitchell number one. I’m taking little number. This is where the draft to me against Interesting. Do you have your next pick ready? I I’m like kind of flip-fpping between a couple different players here, but I think I’m going to go KD. Yep. I think that’s good. I’m not going to overthink this one. No, 2023 trade deadline. It It’s Durant lists Miami and he lists Phoenix and Matt Ishbia new owner syndrome just comes in and says, “Here’s all of it. Here’s Bridges. Here’s Cam Johnson. Here’s the the the three or four first round picks, whatever it was, the swaps, all of it.” You just wonder, had Sarver not gotten pushed out of the league, he probably doesn’t do all of that. And I wonder if that doesn’t happen if Kevin Durant’s actually in Miami. It’s a good point. I mean, and just the acquisition, like again, it just feels like they were good. Like everybody kind of reme forgets this, but they were really good when they acquired KD. And I I think it was a really great move for them. The Suns at the time. Yeah. The Suns. I mean, yeah, they they they they wind up going on a little deep playoff run there. And the expectation was like, well, we’ll make more moves. We can do more, etc. to continue to build on this thing. But there was potential there. and and the fact that they just fell so short of that is what’s really, you know, startling about that particular group is they just the potential was far from actually realized. And so when you look at KD and that he joins a team like Miami that’s much more fully formed, much more stable, much more capable of maximizing what he’s capable of doing. And he would fit alongside Jimmy Butler, he would fit alongside Bamabio. Yep. And that being the case, I feel pretty confident that they win that championship. Um, it would have been a home run, obviously, right? And who knows, maybe the the Heat are able to get Durant this time around. Obviously, no Jimmy Butler anymore. Uh, but yeah, the the the Miami Heat, the best team in the league at not trading for Kevin Durant, but maybe they could buck the trend. All right, it is my pick. We’ll get to it at the end of this break coming up next on Locked on Heat. Today’s episode is brought to you by Door Dash. NBA fans, you know what time it is. It’s playoff season and that means big performances and even bigger rewards. And Door Dash is bringing the heat with a slam dunk deal for Dash Pass members during the 2025 NBA playoffs. It’s called They Swoosh, You Score. Anytime a player drops 50 or more points in a playoff game. Dash Pass members score a free threepiece crispy tender combo from Winktop the very next day. You just place an order of $20 or more and you use the code Winktop 50. That’s Wing Stop50 at checkout and that combo is yours. Crispy, delicious, and totally free. Offer valid noon to midnight the day after the game. Terms do apply. You ever look at your delivery fees and thought, “Well, there’s got to be a better way.” Well, with Dash Pass, you get 0 delivery fees and exclusive perks like this one. How much would you save over the course of a season? I know you probably wind up ordering a lot during a regular season and the playoffs and everything else like that. So many sporting events that always capture your interest. Well, this is one way to watch games and save money. So, here’s the play. Sign up for Dash Pass and unlock this and more exclusive deals all season long when any player scores 50 plus in a playoff game. Will it be Shay Yildis Alexander? Who knows? Dash Pass members can grab a free threepiece crispy tenders combo from Wingstop the very next day with a code wingstop 50. That’s Dash Pass. Your door to more savings, more flavor, and more ways to win. Terms do apply and we’ll be right back. [Music] I got the next pick here. I’m going James Harden. Um, this would have been the right play, the right pivot right after you strike out on Damen Lillard. And I was lobbying for it here. This is not revisionist history. You could go check the receipts at the start of the 2023 2024 season. I was out here saying, “Do it.” I know he stands for everything that Miami Heat culture does not. I understand the concerns about James Harden in South Beach and the proximity to certain adult entertainment locations. I didn’t care. I didn’t care because he was going for nothing. Here’s what the Clippers ultimately acquired James Harden for. uh Marcus Morris, Robert Coington, Nick Batum, KJ Martin, and two first round picks with a with a pick swap and a second round pick in there or two second round picks in there. You could have probably gotten Harden for Kyle Lowry, Kayla Martin, and two first round picks. You had it. You could have done it. Miami didn’t do it. They weren’t interested. I don’t know why they were in training camp with Kyle Larry and Boca Raton talking about how he’s the starting point guard after he had gotten benched in that finals run and all these things. They didn’t have a point guard. They thought they were getting Damen Lillard and James Harden is not Damen Lillard. I understand that James Harden has his flaws. I get it. It’s not perfect. It’s why he went for so cheap. But given what the price was and considering that he could have been the ultimate innings eater for this Heat team in the regular season because the one thing Harden does do plays a lot of regular season games, puts up a lot of stats in those regular season games. James Harden has never missed the playoffs. That guy just gets his teams to the playoffs and then once he’s in the playoffs, that’s when he falls short. But that’s what playoff Jimmy is for. And I still think had they traded for Harden, then you’re not in the playin tournament. Kelly Ubé doesn’t land on Jimmy Butler’s knee. Butler is healthy for that playoffs run. They’re not playing the Celtics in the first round. They’re probably a top four seed in the Eastern Conference. And who knows what could have happened. So I I I don’t know. I you see how good this Clippers team was this year. Imagine that with a you’re younger James Harden in the Eastern Conference where it’s the competition isn’t like that. I think that could have been in the cards. I think the Heat uh kind of got a little too high on their own supply in terms of what heat culture means and blah blah blah blah blah. I think they should have just traded for James Harden. I think they could have they didn’t do it. They didn’t explore it. They should have done it. That to me was an easy number two pick. Yeah, I I get it. I just The playoff concerns are something. I think that’s pretty legit. But I I see your point also that when you have Jimmy, you don’t necessarily have to worry about Harden. And who knows, maybe his job is that much easier and he can actually wind up at least contributing um if not thriving during a playoff. He was okay for the Clippers in this last playoff run. The last game was a stinker, but he was okay. That’s what everybody remembers, right? Yeah, that’s that’s how it works though. Um yeah, no, it’s a it’s a good pick again. I mean there’s a lot of ways that it could have benefited Miami and just again from just the idea that he’s going to be that term innings eater you have used it so consistently in describing what Harden provides and you’re absolutely right like you know we we had that conversation just this week about Demar de Rozan guy you’re gonna you know what you’re getting from them you know and and with Harden it’s high production with the occasional flare that’s superstar sensational you know and that’s what he’s capable of He’s still at that point. Look what he’s done to maximize Zubot in that pick and roll in LA. Imagine him with Bam. Yeah, just a guy you can actually throw an entry pass to Bam out of bio. Throw a lob to Bam. Um I I know I harp on it all along and I’ve been harping on the James Harden thing for a while. It’s the kind of move that this Heat Front Office didn’t make. Slightly risky. Y wasn’t perfect, but this they were trying to hit a home run without swinging in the bat for almost the entirety of the Jimmy Butler era. They wanted another Jimmy Butler trade where it was like Josh Richardson and a first round pick and unloading Hassan Whiteside all in one fell swoop and then landing a superstar player. And they were trying to recreate that every single time. Perfect player, low cost. It’s why they ended up not getting Damon Lillard because they misread their hand on that. Um, they ended up not getting Kevin Durant because they didn’t go all in. Maybe that was the right move, but that’s why you didn’t end up with Durant. And it’s the exact kind of move that this front office refused to make that they should have made because who knows? They they needed to be a little riskier. They needed to be a little bit more all-in than what they were. Uh, and they don’t have a championship in the Jimmy Butler era to show for it. But you have the next pick. Yeah, I’m going with Pascakum on this one. I love this. He’s on my list. Yeah. I just I I I think he’s just such an underrated player. Yep. And he he’s just he would have fit in so well there. Like unfortunately it keeps Bam at the five and that’s probably not what he would have preferred, but just think of the how much he alleviates all the concerns offensively. He’s an underrated defender. He’s not great, but he I mean he can he can hold his own certainly and just he’s always fit in that kind of category where he’s he’s he’s strong enough to take advantage of smaller matchups and he’s big and big enough to kind of handle his own against I’m sorry big enough to handle the smaller matchups and small enough to go go against bigger players that try and guard him. And so I think he’s just he’s a a walking mismatch that always kind of tends in his favor and he just gets his points and he knows what to do and and I think he would have fit in pretty well here. you know, a guy with championship culture and you can kind of I mean it would have it would have worked in a lot of levels and I don’t know if I mean would they have acquired him and at that point in time was that before they moved Lowry I think it was I don’t know I think it was after was it after so he was moved in January of 2024 same month that let me look because oh so Seak was traded January 17th uh Terrair traded to Miami. Let’s Google that really quick. And he was traded Rosier was traded January 23rd. So they could have done it before. So maybe it’s So it the trade that the Pacers did was Bruce Brown’s Yeah. contract and three first round picks. Could you have moved Lowry’s contract back to Toronto, ironically enough, did they have the three first round picks? Maybe. I don’t know. Could they have figured it out? Perhaps. Maybe throw some other things in. I don’t know. Um, but it was just a it was just a contract concern. So, I think every that’s what everybody was kind of shying away from is like, oh, is he going to resign? And we heard a lot of talk about how much money he wanted Toronto and Toronto didn’t bulk on that and then it was just that’s why I think a lot of teams were scared off at the time and and he wind up resigning with the Pacers and look at them, they’re they’re one game away from making the NBA finals. NBA forward, man. Like Sakum’s awesome and I think perpetually underrated and that’s the kind of move that the Celtics made, right? that the Heat didn’t. Um, and our friend friend of the show Rowan Nod Carney is on this a lot where he’s saying like, “Hey, you had your star duo in Bam and Jimmy. It was about filling out the roster with guys who could support them. Imagine a roster that instead of miscasting Caleb Martin at the four, they had Seakum at the four. Imagine how much better they would be.” And if you and Right. And if you just did that across the positions, right? If you found those kinds of players, the Heat were always looking for another superstar, but maybe all along Jimmy Butler and Bam Adabio were good enough as long as they had a better supporting cast. And the Heat were just too preoccupied with the top of the roster and not occupied enough with the middle of the roster. And even saying Seakum is the middle of the roster guy is probably a disservice to Seakum. So, absolutely. Um, I like it. I’m with you. So, yeah, I had him on my list. Kind of an underrated one. Um, let’s uh take a quick break here. We’re going to get to the rest of the draft. We got to probably move a little bit faster with these and then uh chat GPT has an idea of who the top five heat player or the top 10 heat players are of all time. I’m going uh Larry Markin with my next pick. and not when he got traded to Utah, but rather when he was traded to Cleveland in the off season of 2021. Cleveland basically got him for a lot of protected first round pick and salary filler. And it’s easy to look at Mark and now making a max contract and what he’s done in that one year in Cleveland and a couple years in Utah. he was an all-star two years ago and say oh my god like obviously he’d be a great fit next to bam out of he’s still in we were talking about a mock trade the other day that had market coming to Miami right that’s sort of this target that he fans are always dreaming about but when he he got drafted to Chicago and was kind of bad for them and Cleveland took a chance on him nobody was looking at markin in 2021 the way that they’re looking at markin now or even last year but had they done that had they just said you know But we trust our scouting. We trust our development. 7-footer who can knock down a three-pointer. He was still doing that in Chicago. It was just all the other stuff that came with it since then. But could you imagine how they just traded a lottery protected first and some salary filler like Kelly Olen or something like that? Yeah. To Chicago for Larry Markin. How that could have changed things for Miami. That would they would have had the answer at the four spot. Yes. Since then, like it just it wouldn’t have changed. He just would have had that and him next to Bam next to Jimmy space on the floor. It would have been a perfect fit. I my only concern is that I don’t know that Mark becomes the market in version that we saw here the the borderline all-star and all-star that he was here like I I think in Miami I don’t know that he would have necessarily thrived to the same degree. I don’t know that they would have given him the leeway. they might have broken him because that’s just some things what happens and that I mean like I don’t think he became particularly skilled from one team to the other but we saw this transformation as you said I mean in Cleveland I’m sorry in Chicago he was bad in Cleveland he was solid and then Utah he was fantastic and it’s like I don’t know that he probably isn’t an allar that kind of leap because he’s not getting the touches that he got in Utah he’d still be a damn good player right it would be he’d help provide balance to the lineup for sure yeah exactly uh you got the next pick Uh, we’re going to do each. We have a starting final. I’m going to I’m going to go OG on this one. Good one. All the Raptors guys. He wanted all the Raptors guys. Um, yep. OG traded at that same deadline as Seak. Yep. Uh, contract concerns, but same thing. Like, imagine having that all NBA type defender that can handle I mean, he’s he’s he’s in the same mold as Bam in terms of one through five kind of defense. Um, and he’s he stretches the floor to a high degree. He could pick up centers if Bam gets in foul trouble. You can do a lot there with RJ. Would you uh so Toronto traded or or the Knicks traded RJ Barrett who’s in the Tyler Hero draft? RJ Barrett and Emanuel Quickley. Would you have moved Hero to get Anobi in retrospect? Because that’s what it would have cost. Yes, I think so. I think so. I’m not sure I’m there. Um but good pick. Uh I am gonna go Derek White. My next pick. uh just two first round picks in 2021 to San Antonio to go get Derrick White. And Derek White obviously isn’t what or it wasn’t considered what he was, but he had a lot of fans in the NBA and a lot of fans on NBA Twitter. And I just remember when Boston traded for him, people were like, “Wow, what a perfect fit. Oh my gosh, people are going to realize who Dererick White is and how good he is.” So, um that was another one where Miami didn’t want to waste their draft capital because they thought they were preserving it for a superstar. Meanwhile, had they moved a couple of first round picks and gotten went out and gotten Derrick White, it would have been their answer at point guard for the for the next four years, he would have been able to fit next to Tyler Herro. You wouldn’t have had to given up Tyler Herro in that trade more likely than not. Um, it would have been White Hero, Jimmy, Bam, Finder four, whatever. But, um, I think it would have been a good pick. Uh, you’re next. I think this might be my best pick. A real sleeper here, Aaron Gordon. Aaron Gordon. Wow. I didn’t even have him on my list. This is a sleeper. Uh when was he traded? 2021. Okay. In the summer, right? Or was that the deadline? Uh let me see. Uh March. So, yeah, the deadline 2021. That was the Is that the CO shorten season? Yeah, that’s the CO shorten season. So, yeah. Been delayed. So, that’s why deadline was all the way in March. Yep. Yeah. for for along with Gary Clark uh to Denver for RJ Hampton, Gary Harris and a firstround pick. So very little very little like like Harris was a three-point shooter but you know obviously injured etc. He wound up never not really playing much of a role in Orlando. But uh yeah, Gordon’s thrived there. And maybe he doesn’t become Aaron Gordon in alongside without anybody but playing alongside Nicole Joic. But you know what? I I’d like to give him that chance in Miami. I I I mean I loved covering him when he was in Orlando. He’s a smart guy. He’s, you know, I think he would have been able to use that incredible athleticism and he he just became a smarter player in Denver, but I think Miami would have coached him up, too. There was so much chaos in Orlando. He was never gonna succeed there, right? He would have been just PJ Tucker on steroids for the entirety of the Jimmy Butler era, right? They again, one of those guys who just would have had an answered power forward defensively. Oh my god. Jimmy Gordon, Bam, forget about it. Like that’s that’s a top five defense every single year, right? Yeah. With those three guys. Uh that’s a great pick. Um all right, I got the last one here. I’m going give me Chris Paul. Give me Chris Paul. They circled the wagons on Chris Paul a couple of times. They did it in 2019 right after they acquired Jimmy Butler. I remember being in Las Vegas for summer league when this was happening and people were talking about pretty openly Miami is seriously considering calling the Thunder about Chris Paul. It would have costed them Tyler Herro who was a rookie and and draft capital and stuff. So maybe that would have been would not have been the right move. So, I’m actually thinking about the next season. He spent one year in OKC and then the following summer got traded to Phoenix for basically a first round pick in salary filler and they go to the finals. And then they go to the finals and lose to Milwaukee after taking a 2-1 lead in that in the finals. Yeah. Um two nothing lead in the finals. Uh, I’m not sure why they didn’t why they weren’t more of a of a of why were why were they not more interested in Chris Paul at that it was age. I guess that’s what it was. But nobody realized that Chris Paul had probably two two and a half really good years left. And had you just gotten Chris Paul in 2020? Maybe you make that maybe that’s the team. Maybe he’s there instead of Kyle Lowry. Maybe that’s just enough in 2022 to put them over the edge. Beat Boston in the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals. And then you’re playing not the best Warriors team that that won a championship. Maybe that’s maybe that’s enough to just give him a chance in 2022. So, I go Chris Paul there. Um, honorable mentions or maybe not even honorable team players that we didn’t mention. Drew Holiday. You and I did not mention him. I just I love Drew Holiday. I don’t think the right fit for Miami. Not the right fit in that moment for Miami. Uh even though we know that they called Portland about him, but not the right fit. Josh Hart. Josh Hart was another guy. Yep. Um again, Kyrie would have been nice. Kyrie was on my list. Um same sort of thing as James Harden. I didn’t want to just double up on the same type of thing really just for content purposes, but Kyrie could have definitely been drafted by either one of us. Al Horford in 2020. I that whole season I blocked out that the fact that he was traded. I totally forgot that he was a Thunder. The Sixers used they attached a first round pick to him to salary dump him to OKC. I totally forgot the Sixers were actually kind of ahead of their time putting Horford and Embiid together. Yeah, they just didn’t know how to implement it right. But having had if you had Horford with Bam, forget it. Like that would have been pretty crazy. So, um that was a fun draft. That was a good one. We’re going to wrap up today’s episode with uh with this little thing I did. I asked Chat GBT who the 10 greatest Heat players are of all time based on their impact, accomplishments, longevity, and contributions to the franchise’s success. So, I want you to guess who those 10 players are. Doesn’t matter in any order. I just want you to get the 10 players, and then I’ll tell you where they come in. All right. Uh I’m going go with Dwayne Wade as an easy pick there. Yep. That’s number one. Okay. Uh Udonis Hasslam. Udonis Hlam was on the list. He’s number six. Okay. Bam. Adabio. Bam’s on the list. Where do you think he is? Uh I would have him seventh. He’s 10 according to chat. GBT. That’s wrong. Um LeBron James. Yeah. LeBron’s LeBron’s on the list. He’s number two. Really? Okay. Chris Bosch. Chris Bosch is number four. Shaquille O’Neal Shaq’s on the list at number seven. Seven. Alonzo Morning. Number three. Alonzo Morning. He’s third. Is Jimmy Butler on the list? Jimmy Butler’s at five. Five. So, I’ve got one, two, three, four, five. Quick recap of number. So, I want a quick recap of uh the top five players in Heat history according to chat GBT. Dwayne Wade at number one, LeBron James at number two, Alonzo Morning at number three, Chris Bosch at number four, Jimmy Butler at number five. So, you’ve got eight and nine missing. Yeah. Yeah. You Okay. Uh um Tim Hardaway number eight. Okay. Goran Dragage. Nope. Ah, I missed 10 out of 10. Yeah. Yeah. All right. Who’s the ninth best player in Heat history? Give me one more. It’s Glen Rice. Is it Glen Rice? Really? Okay. Well, I see. I didn’t think they’d count that, but yeah. Okay. Nice. Glen Rice is older than Chat GBT, but they uh they went back in the archives and figured it out. Thanks for making Lock. Heat your first listen. Today, we are starting our Blue Notebook series of scouting reports next week. So, be on the lookout for that. Also, leave us uh notes in the comments section. Reach out to us in the Lockdown Heat Insider community with the subtext link in the show notes. Um if there are players that you have your eye on, let us know because we can use any kind of direction. The Heat have the 20th pick in the draft, so hard to know who’s going to be available, who won’t be available. But if there’s somebody you want us specifically to scout, please let us know somehow. Thanks for making Lockdown Heat your first listen. If you’re a second listen, check out the Lockdown NBA Big Board show. NBA draft expert Raphael Barlow reacts to every workout, interview, and rumor leading up to the NBA draft. Find Locked on NBA Big Board on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts.

Which trades do the Miami Heat wish they would have made during the Jimmy Butler era, and could have any of these what-if scenarios have resulted in an NBA championship?

Wes Goldberg and David Ramil draft the players they wish the Heat would have traded for during the Butler era. Then they ask ChatGPT about the top 10 players in Miami Heat history.

0:00 Missed trade opportunities during Butler era
5:41 Donovan Mitchell’s potential impact on Heat
12:47 James Harden trade that never happened
17:49 Pascal Siakam’s fit with the Heat
21:54 Lauri Markkanen as missed opportunity
25:29 Aaron Gordon and Chris Paul trade scenarios
30:14 Chat GPT’s top 10 Heat players of all time

Become a Locked On Heat Insider on Subtext! https://joinsubtext.com/lockedonheat

Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms
🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-heat/

Locked On NBA League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft, WNBA & More
🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/leagues/nba

📲 Follow Locked On Heat on Twitter
Locked On Heat https://twitter.com/LockedOnHeat
David Ramil https://twitter.com/dramil13
Wes Goldberg https://twitter.com/wcgoldberg

📸 Follow Locked On Heat on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lockedonheat/

📺 Follow Locked On NBA: https://linktr.ee/lockedonnba

📢 Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! | Offers from our sponsors: lockedonpodcasts.com/offers

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4k
Did you know your Fire TV is also an Xbox? Turn any TV into your gaming and entertainment hub with Fire TV Stick 4K devices — no console required. Head to Amazon.com/firetvlockedon to get started. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription and compatible controller required.

CarGurus
Buy or sell your next car today with CarGurus at CarGurus.com to make sure your big deal is the best deal.

WayFair
After the holiday hustle, there’s nothing like giving your home a little TLC. Give your home the refresh it needs with Wayfair. Head to Wayfair.com right now. Wayfair. Every style. Every home.

Monarch Money
Take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONNBA at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year.

Gametime
Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNBA for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.

FanDuel
Right now, new customers can get TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS when your first FIVE DOLLAR BET WINS! Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of the NBA.

FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

#miamiheat #heat #nba #tylerherro #bamadebayo