Getty LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Miami Heat are no strangers to superstardom. For four years, the team fielded one of the most vaunted lineups in NBA history headed up by Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh.
Since that team disbanded the Heat and James have gone in somewhat similar directions. James picked up two more rings with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers, while the Heat maintained a strong level of relevance despite his departure, appearing in two conference finals in the last three years.
But suddenly, both the Heat and LeBron are at a crossroads. Miami is slowly finding a way back into the Eastern Conference conversation this season, evidenced in a 14-point win over James’ Lakers this week. And being back in South Beach must have churned up old feelings for James.
“LeBron has tremendous regard for Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo as competitors,” Five Reasons Sports tweeted after the game.
The news about LeBron’s admiration for Adebayo and Butler comes amid speculation about the legend’s future in Los Angeles.
LeBron Chirps at Front Office After Lakers Loss to Heat
The Lakers’ ugly loss to the Heat was just the latest in a string of December disappointments. Los Angeles, just 14-21 on the season, is sitting in the basement of the Western Conference, with little hope on the horizon after Anthony Davis went down with a foot injury two weeks ago.
After the Heat loss, James sounded the alarm on his desire to win and future in the purple and gold.
“I’m a winner and I want to win,” James told reporters after the game. “And I want to win and give myself a chance to win and still compete for championships. That has always been my passion, that has always been my goal since I entered the league as an 18-year-old kid out of Akron, Ohio.
“I don’t wanna finish my career playing at this level from a team aspect. I still want to compete for championships. I know what I can bring to any ball club with the right pieces.”
While Heat fans remain torn about a longshot James-Miami reunion, there’s still hope that the franchise makes a move before the February trade deadline to freshen the team up.
Heat Fans Would Love Trae; Crowder in Mix
With Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks reportedly eyeing his future carefully, Heat fans pounced on the idea that Pat Riley could bring a new star to South Beach.
According to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report, Young could request out of Atlanta if the Hawks don’t make a far enough playoff push this season.
“Rival executives in attendance at the NBA’s annual G League Winter Showcase are of the belief that Atlanta Hawks star point guard Trae Young could be the next player on a rookie max extension to request a trade if the team doesn’t make inroads come postseason time.”
REPORT: Rival NBA executives believe that Trae Young could request a trade from Hawks if the team doesn’t ‘make inroads come postseason time’, via @ChrisBHaynes.
Whoa.
But a summer move for Trae Young doesn’t help solve Miami’s current need to compete. That said, the team was linked previously to trading for disgruntled Suns forward Jae Crowder, despite trade discussions with the Suns recently being described as “challenging.“