There is no team in the NBA right now linked to more trade rumors than the Miami Heat. The franchise has more blazing irons in the fire than Zeus himself.
The Heat has been rumored to be in talks for Kyle Lowry, LaMarcus Aldridge, Bradley Beal, Spencer Dinwiddie, Victor Oladipo — all that after making unsuccessful runs at James Harden and P.J. Tucker. Well, those discussions have gotten back to head coach Erik Spoelstra and he’s doing the best he can to block out all the outside noise.
“Guys have to go through this every single year,” Spoelstra told reporters. “And it just gets noisier and noisier. It is much different than it was 20 years ago, just the amount of rumors. But that’s part of being a professional, is learning how to compartmentalize. Our group does a very good job of that.”
Duncan Robinson has been mentioned as a centerpiece in virtually every single trade rumor, something he talked about dealing with early on in the season. His mother follows all the Heat blogs and lets him know when he may be headed to a new team. On Tuesday, one-time All-Star center Bam Adebayo chimed in on how the team is quieting that din.
“It’s one of those thing[s] where business is business,” Adebayo said. “But that the end of the day, a lot of guys got families and they want to be here, they want to win.”
Bam Adebayo on teammates dealing with trade rumors: I feel like there’s a lot of dudes probably scrolling through social media. Probably a lot of extra weight on their shoulders than there should be.
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DeMar DeRozan, Another Trade Target for Miami?
According to FortyEightMinutes, the Heat may be purring a trade for San Antonio Spurs guard DeMar DeRozan. The 31-year-old volume scorer is averaging 20.6 points in 34.2 minutes per game this season as the Spurs (22-18) fight for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. DeRozan opted into his player option in 2021 to earn $27.7 million, but he’s an unrestricted free agent after the season.
The move wouldn’t make a whole lot of sense for the Heat who are expected to spend big money in free agency in the offseason. Team president Pat Riley reportedly has his sights set on Oladipo or Lowry, even after losing out on some $12.2 million in salary-cap funds this week.
Miami has internally talked about adding DeMar DeRozan, per @FortyEightMins
Vaccinated-Only Sections for Heat Fans
The Miami Heat have been ahead of the curve for health and safety protocols throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Remember those coronavirus-sniffing dogs at AmericanAirlines Arena? Well, the organization is back at it after announcing it will open up special “vaccinated-only” sections of the arena for fans starting on April 1. Those seats are located in the lower bowl.
Masks will still be required but social distancing rules will be relaxed, according to ESPN. The Heat are the first team to test out the vaccinated-only sections, although more teams are believed to be working on it. The first game on the schedule is next week’s contest versus the Golden State Warriors.
“required to present a proof of a Center for Disease Control (CDC) issued COVID-19 vaccination card showing their vaccination certification dated at least 14 days prior to the game date along with a valid government issued ID.” Begins April 1. (2/2)
“You’re already getting a sense that things are starting to change and go in a much more positive direction,” Spoelstra said.” Just the environment in our building, I remember those first couple games we had at the beginning of the year when there was literally nobody here, that was an eerie experience.”
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Miami Heat Players, Coach React to Raging Trade Rumors