Lillard latest chapter in a Heat decade of summer waiting games, from Durant to Hayward to Butler to Durant 2.0

LAS VEGAS — Whenever their run at the NBA2K24 Summer League comes to an end, it almost would be fitting for the Miami Heat to fly standby.

In recent years, the designation has typified their offseasons when it has come to the pursuit of elite-level talent.

And, now, here they are again, in a holding pattern with the Portland Trail Blazers regarding the request of All-Star guard Damian Lillard to be relocated to South Florida.

A year ago, the Heat circled with bids for Kevin Durant and Donovan Mitchell.

Before that, there were gambits, some rather public, for LaMarcus Aldridge, Tracy McGrady, Pau Gasol, Gordon Hayward and a prior run at Durant.

All eventually took their talents elsewhere.

And, yet, each time it also was a case of an elite-level talent circling the Heat on a wish list, as now is the case with Lillard and his simmering frustration of years of biding his time on a Blazers treadmill of mediocrity.

At times, the waiting game has meant losing out on others.

That element certainly is in play this offseason, with the Heat prioritizing a possible trade for Lillard over the opportunity last month to go all in for Bradley Beal, who went from the Washington Wizards to the Phoenix Suns.

Even last summer, secondary transactions were bypassed as hope was held out for Durant, who ultimately was not dealt by the Brooklyn Nets until this past February.

Often lost in the narrative is that the Heat arguably as much as any franchise over the past two decades also have gotten their man, from Shaquille O’Neal arriving amid his rift with Kobe Bryant, to LeBron James and Chris Bosh uniting with Dwyane Wade, and then Mike Miller, Shane Battier and Ray Allen hopping aboard to join those three.

And it continued from there, from Goran Dragic forcing his way from the Phoenix Suns in 2015, to Jimmy Butler making the jump from the Philadelphia 76ers in 2019 and then Kyle Lowry from the Toronto Raptors in 2021. In each case, there was competition, another team left empty handed.

And, yet, fans being fans, it is the ones that got away by never arriving that have created the appearance of falling behind, which assuredly would be fallout if Lillard is not soon in Heat colors.

2022: The Summer of Mitchell and Durant. Amid the deconstruction of the Utah Jazz, Mitchell stood available from the start of the 2022 offseason. At the same time, Durant was sending Lillard-like signals that he needed to relocate.

The fact that Mitchell played in a Miami pro-am alongside Bam Adebayo, expressing his respect for the Heat center, only fueled that fire. At one point, it appeared Mitchell would be off to either the New York Knicks or Heat. Instead, he was dealt on Sept. 1 to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who had the type of draft capital the Heat lacked.

As for Durant, he reiterated his trade desires early last August, further putting the Heat on hold with other potential moves. Two weeks later, Durant said never mind, and continued on with the Nets.

2018: Pulling the Butler plug. Before the Heat finally landed Butler in 2019, there were weeks of negotiations with the Minnesota Timberwolves for the tempestuous forward during the 2018 offseason.

At several points, it appeared the Heat would be able to close on a deal that would send out guard Josh Richardson. From there it deteriorated to the point that ESPN reported that Heat president Pat Riley cursed out then Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau amid the negotiations, which Riley vehemently denied.

Eventually, at the start of the season, Riley let it be known he had “pulled the plug” on talks.

A year later, Richardson was sent to the 76ers in a sign-and-trade for Butler.

2017: Hosting Hayward. With Hayward mulling a free-agency move from Utah, the Jazz, Heat and Boston Celtics were granted very public meetings, the Heat putting together a lavish presentation at their arena.

The Heat exited the meeting believing Hayward was theirs. Hayward instead opted for the Celtics, reuniting with coach Brad Stevens, who had coached him at Butler.

In a post in The Players’ Tribune, Hayward wrote of the process, “My meetings with all three teams during this process — Miami, Boston and Utah — were just unbelievable. They couldn’t have been more impressive. Each meeting left me convinced that the team I’d just met with was the right fit.”

2016: Durant Part I. Before last summer’s waiting game with Durant, there was Durant’s 2016 free agency, when he ultimately left the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Golden State Warriors.

The Heat were one of six teams granted the opportunity to make pitches that summer, with Durant hosting teams in New York’s Hamptons in a $15 million rental home.

The Heat got in the final word, as the last team to visit, but nonetheless, like the Thunder, Celtics, San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Clippers, came up short.

2015: Aldridge absent cash. Part of the reason the Heat have been cast as a team that comes up short is the audacity of Riley.

In 2019, such audacity paid off, when he landed Butler in free agency in the void of any available salary-cap cash.

In 2015, Riley attempted a similar gambit, when he met with Aldridge despite lacking the salary-cap wherewithal to make an offer.

That fact that Aldridge, who ultimately left the Trail Blazers for Spurs, even took the meeting was another nod to the allure of the Heat.

2014: Gasol’s trepidation. The 2014 offseason was among the most challenging for the Heat, with James going well into July before announcing he was leaving the Heat in free agency to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Ahead of that announcement, the Heat had visions of further augmenting their Big Three core with Gasol. Such a gambit, however, would have required voluntary pay cuts from Wade and Bosh, another example of the Heat thinking big and later being burned for the audacity to think outside of the box.

So, no, not exactly one that got away. Gasol ultimately left the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency for the Chicago Bulls.