The buzz around the Heat as they seek to potentially add Damian Lillard has dominated NBA offseason headlines. However, if last season’s Eastern Conference Champions are unable to make a deal come to fruition, head coach Erik Spoelstra is more than happy to compete for a NBA title in 2023 with the club’s current roster.
ESPN’s Senior NBA Insider Brian Windhorst recently caught up with Spoelstra, who is part of Team USA’s coaching staff as they prepare for the FIBA Basketball World Cup. The two-time NBA champion coach feels great about his current cast of Heat players.
“We’re bringing back the majority of our players and that’s a luxury in this league. Things are so transient, things are moving fast. It seems like it’s moving faster now than even four, five, six years ago. We feel great about our group,” said Spoelstra.
Amid the swirling Lillard trade winds, it was interesting to hear the highly respected coach include Tyler Herro among the team’s ‘core foundation’. As we know, the 2022 NBA Sixth Man of the Year has been widely rumored to be the centerpiece of a potential deal with Portland.
“We made some nice additions…We’re excited..We’re adding guys [free agents and draft picks] to our mix and bringing everybody back. Tyler is healthy, Jimmy and Bam, that’s a great core. So we’re excited about it.”
The Heat, who lost key contributors Max Strus (Cleveland) and Gabe Vincent (Lakers) in free agency, need to add more perimeter scoring to a club that fell to Denver in five games in the 2023 NBA Finals. Adding Lillard, a seven-time All-Star, would immediately help the club take the heat off [no pun intended] Butler and Adebayo while creating significant floor spacing courtesy of a player with elite passing skills.
