The Miami Heat will surely wage a campaign next season with their eyes set on one thing - the NBA title. The team's last attempt for the crown was foiled by the Los Angeles Lakers but when the next opportunity comes, the Heat will surely beef up. In such a mission, the name of Joel Embiid pops up.
Embiid's availability is anchored on the notion that by next season the big man's partnership with Ben Simmons would have ended. The rumors refused to die down that Philadelphia will realize this offseason that the Embiid-Simmons tandem is not working for the Sixers. A break up is inevitable.
Should that be the case, then Heat president Pat Riley can make a go for Embiid, who has made no secret that a possible reunion with Jimmy Butler will make his NBA career happier. But there is no way Riley will allow Butler's return to the Sixers. It will be the other way around, and to Miami's benefits.
According to Fadeaway World, it will be a huge deal for Riley's team and if closed, Butler and Embiid starring for Miami will position the team as among the strongest title contenders next season. And it's quite possible that Butler and Embiid will prevent the Lakers from locking on a repeat in 2021.
"In Miami, pairing up Jimmy Butler with Joel Embiid might be the push they need to bring home another championship," said the report.
However, Riley will need to consider that making a move on Embiid will not be easy. The Heat will need to make an offer that will convince the Sixers to start listening. The 26-year-old Cameroonian is considered the cornerstone on the Philadelphia side and Riley must make a compelling offer for the Sixers to even start listening.
In other words, trading for the All-Star big man will cost Miami. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald is expecting that Sixers head coach Doc Rivers will make huge demands from Embiid's suitors. That should mean the Heat must be ready to exchange big names as well.
"It's difficult to envision a Heat/76ers trade, with Philadelphia very likely to demand [Bam] Adebayo and [Tyler] Herro in such a scenario," the Heat Nation reported Jackson as saying.
The journalist that a later bid on Embiid would be more suitable for Miami if the club is unwilling to lose the players that nearly won the NBA title last season for the team.
But the Heat pushing for Embiid's possible switch to Florida is certainly worth the trouble. The power forward fired no fewer than 23 points last season and pulled down at least 11 rebounds. He has been a force playing for the Sixers and he could certainly up his game with a more determined squad, and the Heat would fit in to that requirement.
And despite the disappointing campaigns in the past seasons, NBA analysts are convinced that Embiid is a superstar waiting to explode. The Heat, with their solid winning culture, might just provide the push for Sixers star to finally shine.
