In Heat news today, the Miami Heat may have had first crack at acquiring Evan Turner from the Philadelphia 76ers before the trade deadline this season, prior to Turner landing in Indiana.
Per the Miami Herald's Dan Le Batard, "the Heat [were] offered Evan Turner before Indiana. All they had to give up was [Udonis] Haslem, who wasn’t even playing. Haslem, like Danny Granger, has spent his basketball life with only one team, and he talks a lot about the Heat way and family."
"The Heat didn’t make the trade at least in part because it didn’t like how the message contradicted what it was selling James when it met him, or what it might do to the locker room."
As Le Batard points out, Haslem as twice given up large pay raises in free agency to remain with the Miami Heat. Heat officials felt that Haslem's loyalty was worth rewarding, skipping on giving up Haslem for Turner.
As the Evan Turner situation unfolds in Indiana, this may have been a very wise move for Pat Riley and the Miami Heat.
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