Miami Heat risking too much draft capital?

To consider what the Portland Trail Blazers seemingly consider not enough for Damian Lillard is to also consider what the Miami Heat seemingly have considered too much over the franchise’s three-plus decades when it comes to trades.

Because for as much as the NBA has gone all-in in recent years with emptying the first-round cupboard in deals  — Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Dejounte Murray, Kevin Durant, Harden (again) — the Heat, over their history, have never traded more than two first-round picks for a player.

In 2010, two first-rounders were sent out each for LeBron James and Chris Bosh, as in one player you will soon enough find in the Hall of Fame and one who already resides in Springfield.

The only other time two first-rounders were sent out by the Heat for a player was in 2015 for Goran Dragic.

The Heat’s reality is that the moves with James and Bosh ultimately were mistakes, the Heat rushing in with draft capital for an extra season of each player when each opted out before that extra season.

Now,  as a potential Heat package of three first-rounders for Lillard (perhaps even four, if Tyler Herro is flipped for one) has been derided for weeks, consider that even in the Heat’s other biggest deals since Pat Riley’s arrival in 1995:

– Only one first-round pick was sent out when Riley acquired Alonzo Mourning prior to the start of 1995-96.

– Later that season, no first-rounders were put into play when the Heat acquired Tim Hardaway.

– From there, no Heat first-rounders were in the deals that landed Eddie Jones and Brian Grant.

– Only one first-rounder was required in the 2004 trade for Shaquille O’Neal.

– Then, in 2005, when the Heat were part of the largest trade in NBA history – a five-team, 13-player deal – not a single first-rounder went out in that transaction that brought in 2006 NBA championship components Antoine Walker, Jason Williams and James Posey.

– More recently, only one Heat first-rounder was put into play in the 2019 sign-and-trade transaction for Jimmy Butler.

Yes, times have changed.

Yes, draft picks now travel in triplicate, amid all-or-nothing ultimatums.

But for as much as the Heat have been free-spending over the years with future first-rounders, they also have kept in reserve enough for moments such as these.