Jimmy Butler and Heat will become WORSE with Damian Lillard, warns Paul Pierce

Damian Lillard is the target of the Miami Heat, who think he can be the final piece of their championship puzzle. The Heat have a strong core with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, but they need a superstar scorer like Lillard to take them to the next level. But Paul Pierce, the former Celtics star, is not convinced that a Heat trio of Butler, Adebayo, and Lillard would work well together.

Paul Pierce recently appeared on “What’s Burnin’” of Showtime Basketball. There, sitting alongside Rachel Nichols and Tracy McGrady, he discussed how he believes the Heat will become worse once they trade for Lillard. McGrady started the discussion by being a big believer in the Heat once they added Lillard alongside Butler and others.

But Paul Pierce, not holding himself an inch back, quickly jumped in with his interesting take. He said, “You put them together, they won’t make it out of the first round [of the playoffs]. You gotta understand how they got to the championship this year. A lot of this had to do with their depth and guys playing way above their pay grade.”

Further, Pierce gave Duncan Robinson, Caleb Martin, Gabe Vincent, and others their well-deserved credits as the depth of the team and the undrafted players made the NBA Finals appearance possible last season. The Heat has already lost Gabe Vincent and Max Strus in the Free Agency. Even Udonis Haslem is gone. So Paul Pierce might be right, pointing out how the franchise will have no depth if they land Lillard.

Additionally, talking about the trade and making an unambiguous statement with a reason, Pierce added: “If you just add Dame, this team won’t make it out of the first round with them three [Lillard, Butler, and Adebayo] with no depth.”  While acquiring Lillard, they may have to ship Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, Nikola Jovic, and rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. around.

Related: Damian Lillard trade news: Miami Heat seemingly makes MASSIVE OFFER for Trail Blazers superstar

Miami Heat’s latest offer to acquire Damian Lillard

The Portland Trail Blazers were least interested in a Tyler Herro package. But now the Heat’s front office is pretty close to offering the deal the Blazers want. Recently, Aaron J. Fentress revealed how the Heat team is already offering a package of Tyler Herro, salary filler, 3-first-round picks, and a young player to the Heat. The Blazers, though, aren’t satisfied with this offer. But can get the deal done if there’s another first-round pick involved too.

Further, discussing the situation, Fentress added, “The question is finding that fourth first-round pick. And if you don’t want Herro, you just have to find someone to take Herro and give you another first-round pick. Then you’re at four firsts and at least one young player and salary filler, maybe even two young players.”

Still, the offer hasn’t been confirmed and can be a rumor, too, as the Blazers are looking for the maximum trade value while exchanging Damian Lillard. And Paul Pierce might be right, as the process can cost the Heat some more depth in the roster.

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