For years, the Miami Heat have been known as a franchise that has an ability to attract star players. In the last decade, players like LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Jimmy Butler have established the Heat as star magnets. According to sports pundit Bill Simmons, the next superstar to join Miami could be Luka Doncic.
As NBA fans know well, Doncic currently plays for the Dallas Mavericks, the team that acquired him in a draft-night trade with the Atlanta Hawks back in 2018.
Since Doncic joined the NBA’s ranks, he has climbed into the upper echelon of superstar players. He seems to be an MVP candidate every season.
Last season, he achieved a real career benchmark when he led his Mavs to the Western Conference Finals. Though he and the Mavs lost to the eventual champion Golden State Warriors, it was a clear indication that Doncic has what it takes to succeed deep in the playoffs.
When it comes to Doncic’s future, Simmons — who is known to sometimes make somewhat baseless predictions — determined that the Slovenian national could ultimately end up in South Florida.
“5yrs from now what team is Luka on? I think it’s going to be really hard for Dallas to put a good enough team around him. I think they’re on the clock. How many years will he be happy? If he did switch teams for some reason I feel like it’s Miami”- @BillSimmons on The Lowe Post pic.twitter.com/u7Jzu4Zsun
— Dru (@dru_star) January 14, 2023
It is quite likely that the main reason Simmons pegged Miami as a likely landing spot for Doncic is because of the franchise’s success at targeting and acquiring stars over the years. The Heat definitely have a proven track record of being able to do just that.
However, it is not as though they have struck gold every time. Failed attempts in recent years include the team trying to land Giannis Antetokounmpo before he signed his massive extension with the Milwaukee Bucks as well as a failed pursuit of Kevin Durant this summer.
In the end, whether or not Doncic is available in the coming years will likely be predicated upon his level of success in Dallas. If he can win a title or even make an NBA Finals appearance in the upcoming years, he may be more inclined to stand pat with the Mavs.
However, if he continues to come up short and the franchise continuously whiffs on trying to surround him with adequate talent, he may ultimately choose to bolt.
This season, Doncic is proving yet again that he is one of the very best players in the NBA. He’s putting up a ridiculous 34.3 points per game to go along with 9.0 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game.
His Mavs currently sit at the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference with a record of 24-19.
