The Miami Heat traded on Thursday for Oladipo, a two-time All-Star, an All-NBA defender, a 28-year-old third wheel for Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo — and that only tells half the story of how Riley left the day with a better team than he entered.
The other part isn’t what the Heat gave up in this trade. It’s who they didn’t. No Tyler Herro. No Duncan Robinson. Not even a Precious Achiuwa.
So the Heat got better today without surrendering a slice of tomorrow. They improved their chances this season at no cost to coming seasons.
Out the door in the trade went Kelly Olynyk, Avery Bradley and a swap of first-round picks next year.