NBA All-Star Questions Why Miami Heat Passed On Him In Rumored Trade

Anthony Pasciolla | Oct 10, 2024

Aug 12, 2023; Springfield, MA, USA; Miami Heat president Pat Riley walks the red carpet at the 2023 Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Symphony Hall. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images / Eric Canha-Imagn Images

The Miami Heat seemingly place their name in the mix for every superstar that becomes available for trade.

But rarely do they come away with the star.

This applies for Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal, who recently revealed the Heat was one of the two destinations he was anticipating to land with. He also noted the unknown of why team president Pat Riley and the Heat's front office passed on the chance to acquire him.

"First off, Phoenix wasn't even in the picture for me to go to," Beal shared on the Run Your Race podcast. "Listen, that was a fly ball. I'm waiting on Miami to hit me a grounder. Milwaukee, those were kind of like my two. Miami didn't want to do it for whatever reason, didn't know why."

While Beal cannot say for sure why Miami's front office didn't want him, reporter Zach Lowe claimed money was a crucial piece to the puzzle. The three-time All-Star is one of the league's highest-paid players, but the not-so-large skill gap between him and Heat guard Tyler Herro doesn't reflect it.

"I think that was a vote of confidence in Tyler Herro. From what I heard, the Heat looked at that situation and said 'We don't think Bradley Beal, who's...seven years older than Tyler Herro, is 30 million dollars better than Tyler Herro going forward," Lowe said, viaThe Lowe Post. "We just don't think the upgrade is worth it."

If the Suns fail to meet expectations again this season, it shouldn't come as a surprise to hear Beal's name back in trade rumors.

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Anthony Pasciolla works as a contributing writer to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at ampasciolla@gmail.com or follow him on X @AnthonyPasci.