Should The Miami Heat Target Joel Embiid If They Fail To Acquire Damian Lillard?

Joel Embiid recently removed the Philadelphia location in his X bio

The Miami Heat may have an even better second option if the trade to acquire seven-time All-Star Damian Lillard falls through.

With the drama surrounding James Harden and the Philadelphia 76ers, MVP Joel Embiid could request a trade. Jimmy Butler and Embiid already have a connection from playing together in 2019. If he desires a championship, Miami has made the Finals twice in the last four seasons.

These rumors have heated up in the past few weeks, with All-Star teammate Harden requesting a trade earlier in the offseason. On Monday, he publicly called team president Daryl Morey a liar. Following this, Embiid removed the Philadelphia location from his X bio, further increasing speculation.

Although the MVP would likely not become available until after this season, the Heat would certainly be interested. Philadelphia is known for having extremely high asking prices, meaning Bam Adebayo would have to be involved. Although it may be worth giving up the two-time All-Star center, last season, Embiid averaged 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks on 54.8 percent shooting.

In 2019, the 76ers lost in the Eastern Conference Semifinals on a Game 7 game-winning buzzer beater against the Toronto Raptors. However, the league has seen what Embiid and Butler can accomplish as a duo, having the potential to make the Finals.

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Anthony Pasciolla is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He can be reached at anthonypasciolla36@gmail.com or follow him on Tik Tok @anthonysports_