Miami Heat no longer involved in James Harden trade talks

The Miami Heat defied expectations during the 2019-20 NBA season. They were not expected to contend for a playoff berth. However, they finished as the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Once the playoffs began, the chances of them going on a deep playoff run were slim and none. All the Miami Heat did was prove their critics wrong. They knocked off the fourth-seeded Indiana Pacers in the first round.

The Heat followed that up with a surprising 4-1 series win over the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks. This earned them a conference finals matchup against the Boston Celtics. Miami went on to win that series in six games. This marked the first time the Heat had been to the NBA Finals since 2014.

Their opponent was none other than Lebron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. Sure, the Miami Heat fell to the Lakers in six games. But they gave the Lakers all they could handle.

When a team makes a run to the championship round, it usually attempts to get better. And the Miami Heat are no exception to the rule. Miami was one of the teams in the market to acquire Houston Rockets’ guard James Harden.

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While the Heat did their due diligence, those trade talks proved to be unproductive, as the Rockets would want a haul in return for parting ways with Harden, and who could blame them? Unfortunately, the Heat don’t have the necessary assets to entice Houston to make the trade.

First of all, there is no way the Heat would part with Jimmy Butler or Bam Adebayo. Additionally, Miami owes its first and second-round picks to other teams over the next few seasons. Adding Harden to the mix would have increased Miami’s chances of making another Finals run. At the same time, they defied the odds last season, and who’s to say that they won’t be able to do so once again?