The Miami Heat are still wiping egg off their face after the Milwaukee Bucks sideswiped them and traded for Damian Lillard on Wednesday. The seemingly preordained union between Lillard and the Heat never came to be, which means Miami now has to turn its attention elsewhere.
Heat state media are already spinning that the team which finished as the No. 7 seed in the East last season at 44-38, one which lost two key contributors (Gabe Vincent and Max Strus) in free agency, is fine running back the same core that made a surprise run to the NBA Finals.