According to the Miami Herald, the Heat had a deal to send Kyle Lowry to Los Angeles that had “nearly been finalized,” but Riley could not be reached for approval because he was resting. Instead, the Clippers pivoted, trading Luke Kennard for Eric Gordon, dealing Reggie Jackson for Mason Plumlee and acquiring Denver’s Bones Hyland.
Trading Lowry and his big contract ($29.7M next season) was always going to be a challenge for Miami, but the win-now, veteran-loving Clippers were an ideal fit. They also had the right-sized contracts to match Lowry’s salary — or they did before their flurry of moves during Riley’s naptime.
There’s been no absolute confirmation that Riley was unreachable because he was sleeping, but he is 77 years old and the trade deadline time was 3 p.m. Eastern, ideal siesta territory.
Of course, it may simply be that Lowry was too injured to be traded anywhere.
Miami remains two-and-a-half games behind Brooklyn for the fifth seed, though the Nets’ future is wildly unpredictable after dealing Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
The Heat still have Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, but this is the third quiet trade deadline in a row for Miami. Plus, the Heat would really like to avoid having to play the top three Eastern Conference teams in round one. Saving money on Dewayne Dedmon’s salary isn’t going to help that. Let’s hope the inactivity doesn’t haunt the Heat and turn Pat Riley’s legacy from “Showtime” to “Naptime.”
