Britney Spears caused some concern with her online activities earlier this week, when she shared a video of herself dancing on Instagram. She does that almost daily, but the catch this time is that she was holding large knives while busting out her moves. She insisted the knives weren’t real, but she appeared to have cuts and injuries in a video shared after the knife clip.
As for the deal with the video, Spears later explained, “Lighten up about the knives I’m copying Shakira !!!,” referring to Shakira’s recent performance at the 2023 Video Music Awards, during which Shakira danced while holding knives. Either way, some were still worried about Spears, to the point that TMZ reports the Los Angeles Police Department did a welfare check on Spears yesterday (September 27).
The publication notes the initial call for the check was made by the LAPD’s Systemwide Mental Assessment Response Team (SMART). While Spears fans have called for welfare checks in the past, this time, the call was apparently made by somebody who “actually had some knowledge of Britney.”
When officers arrived, they were assured Spears was OK by her security, then left. Spears’ attorney called LAPD later in the day to ask about the visit and was assured the officers “only made the visit because the call was made by someone who knew Britney … they don’t make the welfare checks for fan calls.”
Each week our staff of film and TV experts surveys the entertainment landscape to select the ten best new/newish shows available for you to stream at home. We put a lot of thought into our selections, and our debates on what to include and what not to include can sometimes get a little heated and feelings may get hurt, but so be it, this is an important service for you, our readers. With that said, here are our selections for this week.
Fionna and Cake were introduced in a season three episode of the wonderful animated series Adventure Time, and became instant fan favorites. Now, the pair have their own spinoff show, Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake, which finds them on a multiverse-hopping journey towards self-discovery. It looks just as funny, existential, and clever as the original, just with a cat (Cake) instead of a dog (Jake). Whether that’s an improvement is up to you.
LaKeith Stanfield heads into the horror realm in this adaptation of Victor LaValle’s acclaimed novel. The show promises to be a grown-up fairytale begins in a New York City library and heads into a version of the Big Apple that usually remains closed from human eyes. It’s also a parenthood fable, and yes, it truly feels like the scariest horror stories often revolve around kids, whether they happen to be good or evil. Given Stanfield’s ability to showcase the surreal in various other projects, one can bet that this quality adds to the spooks in this series.
Solar Opposites is, in a sense, two shows for the price of one. What a deal! One show is the alien adventures of Korvo (now voiced by Dan Stevens), Terry, Jesse, Yumyulack, and the Pupa, the cutest lil’ guy on television. The other show takes place in The Wall, where humans have been shrunk down and held hostage inside a terrarium. Both are very funny, very weird, and very good. Solar Opposites doesn’t get as much attention as Rick and Morty, but it should.
Rosario Dawson is back as Ahsoka in this spinoff of The Mandalorian, with all the face paint and prosthetics to go along with it. The biggest question here, though, is whether everyone’s favorite little green guy will show up at some point to steal a few scenes and hearts. Fingers crossed.
This intense story, set over several continents, brings us crop circles galore and civilization’s collapse while humanity struggles to pull it together during (as the title suggests) an alien invasion. Naturally, there is a sheriff who gets pulled back from the verge of retirement as soldiers, mission controllers, and civilians everywhere lend their perspectives in this series from Simon Kinberg (several X-Men movies) and David Weil (Citadel, Hunters). The show is back for a second season while the world still struggles to figure what, exactly, is happening in real-time.
The world has been trying to leave Sterling Archer behind for years and years with hilarious results as the spy and his associates have navigated land, sea, and air (and space), often stumbling into calamity while chasing adventure. But now, in its 14th season, the series, with all its ambition and wit, has reached its climax (yes, we are still doing phrasing) and we are here for it, specifically, the final bows of one of the greatest voice casts ever assembled. How will it all end? We can’t wait to find out, but regardless, Archer’s place as one of the best comedies of this century is assured.
Even though there’s been a lot of upheaval at HBO Max/Max and even more so for films and TV shows starring DC characters, at least one supervillainess is safe. Miss Harley (who does not need the Joker for success) was almost pointedly renewed as a clattering of show cancellations and removals swirled. Heck, Kaley Cuoco’s voice even gave us the only Valentine’s Day special worth watching this year. Soon, we might find out whether Bane is still making love to a skyscraper as Harley attempts to get in good with the Bat Family. Quite a contrast there.
The official description of this movie reads as follows: “Two strangers connect on a flight to London, only to be separated by a twist of fate. A reunion seems improbable — but love has a way of defying the odds.” Is this the most original story ever committed to film? Well, no. Should this movie have been titled Love at First Flight? Probably. But could you do a love worst than a sweet little meet-cute starring Haley Lu Richardson from The White Lotus? Definitely. Lots to consider here.
Ryan Murphy’s sick, twisted horror anthology has been a bit of a mixed bag over the years but if there’s anything that can unite the binge-watching masses this Fall it’s Kim Kardashian – first-time actor, lifelong lover of the arts. Kris Jenner’s prodigy is playing a supporting role in this season’s storyline, which can be best summed up as the millennial version of Rosemary’s Baby, while Emma Roberts plays an actress who becomes pregnant and begins to fear that someone (or something) is after her. Demonic symbolism, “hysterical” women, and off-putting wigs – everything you’d expect from a Murphy fright night production is here, it’s just all that much more surreal with Kardashian in the mix.
Sadly, this three-part series will not feature a Keanu Reeves cameo as suggested years ago. This story takes place in the 1970s, long before Wick’s most pivotal pup was even born. As such, this spinoff will focus on the earlier days of the franchise’s assassin-welcoming hotel, where Colin Woodell portrays Winston, who’s attempting to do his day job and also navigate the hellish underbelly of the era’s New York City. If you’re not into the Mel Gibson aspect of this prequel, then perhaps Katie McGrath can sway you to watch as The Adjudicator.
What we have on our hands here is a Bachelor spinoff about an older gentleman looking for love from a group of similarly aged ladies. Which is… honestly kind of adorable. Good for them. And good for us, too, especially if one of the episodes features a date where they eat dinner at a diner at 4:45 and then go watch an episode of Columbo in matching recliners. This was written as a joke but honestly sounds kind of wonderful. That’s true love right there, people.
What we have here is a live-action adaptation of a legendary Japanese manga series about a young pirate and his friends out on the open seas in search of some treasure. It’s been burning up the Netflix charts since its release, and it’s been touted as a feel-good celebration of the innocence of childhood adventure, which, all things considered, does not sound like the worst way to spend a weekend binge. Get in there now before the second season drops.
Seriously, watch this trailer. This is not a fluffy little comedy. Rashida Jones executive produces this adaptation of Zakiya Dalila Harris’ NYT best-selling novel about an editorial assistant is who is overjoyed to no longer be the “only Black girl” at her work place. However, the novelty of newcomer Hazel quickly fades when it becomes apparent that sinister vibes are going down. Spooooky.
Is The Morning Show the best drama on TV in a world absent Better Call Saul and Succession? It might be in the running, but it’s definitely the dramaest drama on TV, leaning on its star power to cut through moments that might be eye-roll-inducing if you weren’t so captivated by the screen presence of Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Billy Crudup, and Jon Hamm, who joins this season as a handsome version of Elon Musk. Backstabbing, front-stabbing, walk and talks, politics, high tension, and ripped-from-the-headlines storylines all come together, yet again, with our news and media power players moving more fully toward the game of mergers, acquisitions, and boardroom battles where the real prizes can be found.
The only “solo” spinoff of AMC’s post-apocalyptic world is upon us. Daryl is most entertaining character to send to France, and he’s also the least religious of the bunch, which makes it awfully funny to see him hanging with a bunch of nuns after waking up in France like “WTF?” Most of all, though, Daryl earns his “Big Ass Kicker” nickname and we also get a lovely character study of the most loyal and industrious survivor of Rick’s old bunch. The action also delivers, so get ready for crossbows and total chaos at Parisian landmarks. Pssst, we also chose the most essential to watch before this spinoff.
Naked Attraction is a lot like every other dating show. Except for the part where the contestants barely meet each other. And the part where someone chooses a mate based almost entirely on comparing their nude body to a bunch of other also-nude bodies. And the part where there are just a ton of exposed dongs. So… maybe it’s not like the other dating shows you’ve seen. But it sure does exist. Go there now and look if you don’t believe us.
Dan Harmon’s long-gestating cartoon take on Ancient Greece is here. He’s had big success in the world of animation before with both Solar Opposites and Rick and Morty, so there’s reason for optimism even if the reviews of the first few episodes are a little dicey. You have time. Don’t pretend like you don’t. You’re not fooling anyone, Derek. (This works better if your name is Derek.)
The horniest kids in Britain are back and ready to go out with a bang – a lot of banging, actually. The fourth season of this Netflix comedy is set to be its last, but before the goodbyes Otis, Eric, Maeve, Aimee, and the rest of the students from Moordale have some growing up to do. While Maeva studies under an eccentric author in America (hello Dan Levy), Otis and Eric struggle to climb the social hierarchy of their new school – one that’s so progressive, they’ve already filled his position of “student sex therapist.”
Come for the dong jokes, and stay for the dong jokes. Much like The Boys, this spinoff does not skim on the raunch, and it also gives us a whole new roster of Supes who might feel differently about Vought International’s motives. This series seemingly pulls off the impossible by managing to be as appealing as the flagship series without the presence of its most shining and degraded beacon, Homelander. This franchise shows no sign of wearing out or fatiguing its audience as both the MCU and DCU have managed to do, which might be the most heroic feat of all in the present entertainment realm.
Kaitlyn Dever has been killing it since her Justified days (Team Loretta), and her Dopesick, Unbelievable, and Booksmart performances sealed the deal. Here, she stays nearly silent — much harder than it sounds, once you see what she goes through — in this story that puts an extraterrestrial twist on home-invasion horror. Before you watch, be sure to pull those blinds and double lock those doors because you’re in for a hell of a good-scary time
In June, Kim Petras released her Feed The Beast album, which debuted at No. 44 on the Billboard 200. The historic Grammy winner barely let that dust settle before surprising her fans with Problematique, a “previously shelved” album “after partially leaking and leaving fans clamoring for more.” And on Wednesday, September 27, Petras opened her Feed The Beast World Tour in Austin, Texas — the vessel through which she’ll keep her fans plenty fed through early next year.
Petras’ next date is on Sunday, October 1, in Orlando, Florida. The North American leg is scheduled to run until November 22, and a European leg will be staged through February and March 2024. See all of her remaining dates here, and check out the setlist from her opening night below (as chronicled by fans on setlist.fm).
Act I: Iron Maiden
1. “Feed the Beast”
2. “Personal Hell”
3. “King Of Hearts”
4. “Revelations”
5. “Unholy” (Sam Smith and Kim Petras cover)
Act II
6. “Slut Pop”
7. “Treat Me Like a Slut”
8. “XXX”
9. “Superpower B*tch”
10. “Throat Goat”
11. “They Wanna F**k”
12. “Your Wish Is My Command”
13. “Treat Me Like a Ho”
Act III: Garden
14. “Claws”
15. “Hillside Boys”
16. “Something About U”
17. “Hit It From The Back”
18. “BAIT”
Act IV: Turn Off The Light
19. “Turn Off The Light”
20. “Wrong Turn”
21. “There Will Be Blood”
22. “<Demons>”
23. “In The Next Life”
24. “Everybody Dies”
Act V
25. “Brrr”
26. “Icy”
27. “Minute”
28. “Castle In The Sky”
Encore
29. “Alone”
30. “Problématique”
31. “Heart To Break”
Scroll down to see pictures from night one of the Feed The Beast Tour and make sure to check out the full tour dates for the Feed The Beast Tourhere.
Renee Dominguez for Getty ImagesRenee Dominguez for Getty ImagesRenee Dominguez for Getty ImagesRenee Dominguez for Getty ImagesRenee Dominguez for Getty ImagesRenee Dominguez for Getty ImagesRenee Dominguez for Getty ImagesRenee Dominguez for Getty ImagesRenee Dominguez for Getty ImagesRenee Dominguez for Getty Images
Ten months after a man’s wife passed away, he finally got the courage to read a letter she left him, which contained a devastating admission. The 4-year-old son they had together may not be his.
“My ‘darling’ wife passed away 10 months ago,” the man wrote on Reddit’s Off My Chest forum. “She wrote a letter for me before she died, but I couldn’t bring myself to read it until now. She told me how sorry she was that she didn’t have the guts to tell me this to my face when she was alive.”
In the letter, the wife revealed that there was a “good chance” that the son he thought was his wasn’t his biological child. A few weeks before their wedding day, the wife got drunk at her bachelorette party and had a one-night stand with another man. Soon after that night, she became pregnant but was unsure who the father was.
The man was torn whether or not to have the paternity test done. The child had only one parent in this world, and he would have to take care of him regardless. He also thought it was cowardly that his former wife would wait until she was no longer around to share the truth with him.
“So she thought she’d rather drop this bomb on my life when I could no longer confront her about it,” the man wrote. “Now that my son would only have one parent looking out for him, and she’d have no idea how I would even react. Maybe I should not have got the paternity test done. Maybe it might be better to live in ignorance. But I just had to know.”
The man took the paternity test and learned he wasn’t the child’s biological father.
“I’m devastated. This doesn’t change how I feel about my son,” he wrote. “He’s my whole world and he’s innocent. But boy, does it hurt. There’s so much going on in my head right now. I haven’t stopped crying. Thank god my son is at my parents’ place for the day. I’d hate for him to see me like this.”
Facing a pain nearly too much for him to bear, the only outlet he had at the moment was reaching out to Reddit to find some solace. “I just needed to let this all out. Don’t have it in me to tell anyone in my life about this right now,” he wrote.
The commenters send him hundreds of messages of support to get him through the shock of first learning the truth about his family.
The most popular message was straightforward and honest. “All your feelings are valid, a lot of people will react with some kind of toxic positivity to things like these. Your feelings are valid. Each and everyone,” femunndsmarka wrote.
Another commenter added that someday, his son will appreciate how he stepped up and did what was right in a very trying circumstance. “He is going to find out the truth one day. Imagine how much more he will love you knowing you didn’t leave him, even though he wasn’t yours,” ImNotGoodatThis6969.
Another commenter provided valuable insight from the son’s perspective.
“As an adopted child, I just want to thank you on behalf of your son. I deeply believe it changes nothing, family is not about blood, its about who you love, want to have by your side, and care for the most. Sending hugs, strength and gratitude,” Mariuuq wrote.
The father at the heart of this story is understandably devastated because his life was upended almost overnight. But the hope in the story is that his trials also taught him a powerful truth—his love for his son goes much deeper than blood.
Amazon delivery drivers don’t have the easiest job in the world. Sitting through traffic, working in extreme temperatures, hauling boxes … not exactly a fun time. So when a driver goes out of their way to be extra considerate—people notice.
One delivery driver has gone viral for the way she delivered a little bit of safety education, along with some lighthearted advice. The TikTok video of the encounter, which now has more than 4 million views, was shared by Jessica Huseman, who had only recently moved into her new house.
The clip shows the doorbell cam recording of the driver approaching the house. As the delivery driver makes it to the front door, she sings, ”Hello … I hope your Monday’s going well. You have no markers on your house that says what number you are.”
From there, the driver’s song quickly changes tune, going from funny jest to helpful PSA.
“And that is hard to find your house my dude, and it’s unsafe, honestly,” the driver continues, adding, “what if you needed medical assistance and the paramedics didn’t know your town well? Come on.”
“Have a great day!” she says happily before walking off.
Huseman added the caption: “We just moved in and this happened today… she’s not wrong though. Guess I need to get some house numbers.”
The driver’s observation was clearly on point. Several medical pros commented to back her up.
“As someone who works in EMS I can verify house numbers are necessary! BUT ALSO MAKE SURE THEY ARE EASILY VISIBLE FROM THE STREET AT NIGHT,” wrote one person.
Another replied, ”yes! Medic here, we’ve had to call dispatch and ask for them to get [the] caller back on the phone and get [the] description of [the] house because there [are] no numbers.”
Besides her information being vital, people were mostly in love with the driver’s friendly attitude. Here are just a few of the compliments:
“Honestly, give them a raise. That’s awesome vibes right there.”
“She’s a whole friken mood, I love her she gives me pink vibes.”
“I need to meet this Amazon driver!!!! I love her!!”
The delivery driver (named Kelsey) eventually saw her viral video and decided to do a follow-up, where she added other unsafe things she’s seen on the job—primarily unclear entrances and exits—along with an additional sweet message:
“Crisis management and prevention education is essential and literally a part of my soul. So anytime I do go out and deliver packages … if I see something, I say something. Cause that’s how bystander intervention works. But keeping in mind that it’s more than that. It is about reminding each other that we are enough, and being there for one another.”
Whether it’s packages or something to smile about, Kelsey is a master of delivery.
Gunna has had one hell of an 18-month stretch. In May 2022, he and Young Thug were among 28 YSL members arrested and charged in a 56-count grand jury indictment, including Racketeer Influenced And Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act allegations. Last December, Gunna accepted an Alford plea deal and was subsequently released from prison — presumably lifting a massive weight off of his shoulders.
This year, Gunna has slowly crept back into the public eye, and people have noticed his slimmer frame. TMZ recently ran into Gunna and asked him for the secret behind his fitness and weight loss. At first, he responded by silently imitating bicep curls. “Lifting weights?” the TMZ correspondent asked. Gunna clarified, “Lifting legs,” aka having sex.
Things are only now beginning to die down for Gunna. Immediately following his prison release, various snitching allegations were aimed at Gunna — from strangers online to Lil Durk and Jim Jones — and he repeatedly denied them. He directly addressed it on the Gift And A Curse track “I Was Just Thinking.” Earlier this month, Young Thug’s dad came to Gunna’s defense, saying, “Gunna hasn’t done anything whatsoever that can hurt us on this case, period.”
Hello, would you like to play a game? And by “play a game” I mean watch the tenth installment in the Saw franchise, Saw X? The time has almost come!
The upcoming sequel will be the first since Chris Rock decided to insert himself into the Saw universe with Spiral, though it seems like people have just brushed that one off as one of those weird 2021 fever dreams, and we just won’t ever talk about it again. Instead, Saw Xwill take place sometime between the first and second sequels before Jigsaw dies, making this movie sometime in 2004 or 2005. This means there will be some nice relics of Bush-era Saw traps.
The movie hits theaters this weekend, so it will be quite some time before you’re able to stream Saw X. In the past, Lionsgate movies were first released on Starz streaming service, and then over to Peacock. The average window from release to streaming can can be anywhere from 45-90 days, so it can really depend on how well our little Jigsaw does in theaters. We will likely see Saw X on streaming sometime in early 2024, though it could be later.
The good news is that Lionsgate consistently makes their films available for VOD about two months after the theatrical release, so you’ll have Saw X on demand just in time for Thanksgiving. That’s a perfect time to play a game!
The season four premiere of the family’s revamped reality show — this time on Hulu — kicked off with a trip to Cabo where Khloe tried beer for the first time and had a run-in with her aquatic arch-nemeses, migrating whales. But before all that, Kim extended an olive branch, by way of a filmed phone call, to Kourtney to see if she would reconsider bailing on the family vacay. Despite hashing out their Italian wedding drama towards the end of season three, the sisters have been fighting again — this time because Kourtney watched the show edits and saw all of the sh*t Kim and her sisters talked about her. (To be fair, Kourt never passed up an opportunity to call Kim a greedy narcissist in season three either.)
The call was fairly cordial until Kim’s creative partnership with Dolce & Gabbana came up (again) and Kourtney accused her sister of being miserable at her wedding. Kourtney accused Kim of stealing her looks for the campaign, Kim clapped back that ’90s goth is not an original concept and Kourtney did not invent black lace. It was giving low-stakes mess until Kim brought up side group chats and Kourtney’s kids.
“All of your friends call us complaining,” Kim told Kourtney. “We’re on a group chat that’s actually labeled “Not Kourtney.” So we know, and have to funnel what your friends are saying to us and have to figure out why you’re such a different person and why you have this vendetta out. Your kids have even come to me with problems that they have and how you are.”
Their fight ended with Kourtney calling her sister a witch and crying that she hated her, which all felt pretty cringe in the moment but that didn’t stop Twitter from dissecting the drama the day after the episode aired. Some took Kim’s side:
Kourtney Kardashian should’ve left that show before they signed that new deal with Hulu.
You don’t want to work. You don’t want to be around your family. Yet, you still want a check?
We all know someone like Kourtney, there’s no accountability, empathy or resolve coming from her side. She’s literally perpetuating a victim mentality disguised as resentment towards her family. #TheKardashianshttps://t.co/sldbZOObgb
I feel like Kourtney’s problem is something she can’t say on TV. Like it would ruin the entire operation. What we hear is just a small part of it! https://t.co/H7DRnVCvnN
kourtney is actually better than me cos the moment u start talking about my kids I would have to start bringing up failed marriages https://t.co/jYLEmtKgqj
A group chat called “Not Kourtney” The way I would ghost everybody (friends + family) would be an EPIC disappearance…they would never hear from me again.
The main order of business for the Miami Heat this offseason appeared to be finding a way to acquire Damian Lillard, and on Wednesday afternoon, we learned that would not come to fruition. While Miami was Lillard’s preferred destination at the start of the summer and the Heat wanted to acquire his services, the Milwaukee Bucks were able to swoop in and pull off a monster deal to bring Lillard to the Eastern Conference.
There are now a bunch of questions facing the Heat, as the team has to figure out if it’s worth pivoting and pursuing another high-profile guard — Jrue Holiday, who was sent to the Portland Trail Blazers in the deal, would make a ton of sense for them. But one thing is for sure: One member of the Heat suddenly has a whole lot more certainty, which he tweeted about immediately after news of the trade hit the internet.
Well… i think we all know what my number will be now lol
You see, Josh Richardson — who joined the team on a 2-year deal in free agency — has not had a number on the team’s roster since joining. Here is a screenshot of his player page next to Duncan Robinson’s, who wears 55.
Miami Heat
Richardson has worn 0 for much of his NBA career, including the four seasons he spent as a member of the Heat at the start of his career. Well, perhaps unsurprisingly, that wasn’t given out to any Heat players, and while there is no explicit reason why, it’s not hard to put two and two together with that and their well-documented interest in acquiring Lillard, who wears 0. Etienne Catalan tweeted that Richardson will now wear 0, and we’re still waiting for the Heat to update their website.
Richardson played for the San Antonio Spurs and the New Orleans Pelicans last season. Back in 2015, the Heat selected him with the 40th overall pick in the NBA Draft, and he played for the team for four seasons before getting traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in the deal that sent Jimmy Butler to Miami.
One thing got lost in the Miami Heat‘s high-profile pursuit of Damian Lillard: The team did not have an especially great offseason. While it was by no means a disaster, a pair of starters during their run to the NBA Finals last year — Max Strus and Gabe Vincent — are both gone, as are a pair of veterans in Victor Oladipo (who, in fairness, probably won’t play much this season after an injury he suffered in the playoffs) and Cody Zeller. Udonis Haslem also retired, and while he wasn’t exactly playing 40 minutes a night, his presence was such a constant in South Beach that it feels weird to not mention him.
Miami was able to do some stuff this summer, bringing in an old friend in Josh Richardson via free agency alongside reserve big man Thomas Bryant, while first-round pick Jaime Jaquez is a potential plug-and-play wing. But so much of what this summer was supposed to be for the Heat, one that came on the heels of an improbable appearance in the Finals, revolved around the Portland Trail Blazers honoring Lillard’s request to go to Miami. That, of course, is no longer possible, as the Blazers struck a deal with the Milwaukee Bucks, instead.
We’ll forget about the potential long-term ramifications of that, namely that there is a (and this is a guess) 10,000,000 percent chance Miami would have tried to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo if things went belly up in Milwaukee. For now, the Heat find themselves in a tricky spot, as they project to be a good but flawed basketball team, one that doesn’t seem to be quite on the same level as the Bucks or the Boston Celtics at the top of the Eastern Conference.
To get the obvious out of the way: This is the Miami Heat we’re talking about here. No team in the league is better at finding themselves in this exact spot, MacGyvering a solution during the regular season, and next thing you know, there’s Miami in the Conference Finals again. They still have a rock solid 1-2 punch of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, while they have a battle tested roster of guys who will play hard during those sleepy December and January games that end up being crucial in the playoff race. Mix that with internal development for some of their younger guys (Tyler Herro, Nikola Jovic, etc.) and their ability to just find diamonds in the rough (I am mentally preparing for Heat fans to send this piece to me in December because Haywood Highsmith is averaging 14 and 5 on 43 percent shooting from three or something), and expecting the Heat to miss the playoffs or anything like that is obviously foolish.
But the team wanted Lillard for a reason. His would have been a perfect cultural fit as a member of a franchise that really values that, while his ability to stretch a defense, take some of the load off of Butler in the postseason, and form a pick-and-roll duo with Adebayo legitimately would have been a nightmare for teams to deal with. Whether it was due to the Blazers’ desire to send him elsewhere or Miami just not having a good enough package is a debate for another day, the fact of the matter is that they now need to figure out what comes next.
The good news is that the Heat are usually excellent at finding an answer to that question. Maybe it really is as simple as banking on another step forward for Herro, while Jovic is able to carry over his legitimately impressive performance at the FIBA Basketball World Cup. Maybe Kyle Lowry is able to turn back the clock and has one more run left in him, or the postseason performances Caleb Martin and Duncan Robinson threw down last year are sustainable.
Or maybe the answer is to turn to the trade market, where there are guards they can acquire and immediately plug into their starting rotation. Ironically enough, calling up the Blazers and seeing what they could get for the biggest name they acquired in the Lillard trade, Jrue Holiday, makes a ton of sense. The market for Holiday is going to be incredibly competitive, as every single team with championship aspirations could use his skill set as a two-way guard, along with his well-documented history of being one of the best teammates in the league and someone who is willing to exist in harmony alongside other stars.
Would the Heat — who clearly had some frustrations with how the Lillard situation went down — want to sit down with the Blazers and work on a Holiday deal? How much would they be willing to give up, and if Portland wants a more pick-heavy return for him, would a team with a ton of draft capital (say, the New York Knicks) be able to immediately muscle Miami out of the picture? At the bare minimum, it’s worth kicking the tires on what it would cost, because Holiday is such a perfect fit here.
On the topic of guards who requested a trade at the start of the offseason, what about James Harden? Perhaps it’s hard to see a path forward here due to Daryl Morey’s explicit statement that the team would need a major haul back and neither of the Heat’s two stars would be on the table here, but for his flaws, Harden would be able to do some of the things that made Lillard such an appealing target — imagine him running a pick-and-roll with Adebayo, for example.
Perhaps his contract situation (he’s a free agent after this season) and the trickiness of figuring out a deal that makes sense for the Philadelphia 76ers makes this a non-starter, and Miami would prefer to wait for a bigger name to become available before it wants to part ways with stuff. But from a purely basketball perspective, a Harden-Butler-Adebayo trio could go toe-to-toe with just about anyone in the league. Butler’s postseason brilliance is the exact sort of thing that can help mitigate Harden’s struggles that time of year, while Adebayo’s destructive enough defensively that he could help mitigate Harden’s struggles on that end of the floor.
Not getting Lillard is a big deal. Is it going to single-handedly derail Miami’s season? Of course not — if there is one team that you’d assume can get through this situation and figure out a solution, it’s the Heat. They’re quite good at pivoting in these situations, and it’s worth mentioning that even before this happened, it was made abundantly clear that they wouldn’t go all-in on acquiring Lillard.
That is not what a desperate team does, and the good news for Miami is that they don’t need to be desperate here. But still, there are paths forward for them if they choose to take one of them … unless they decide to wait for the next disgruntled star to hit the trade market, and then we’ll find ourselves back in this exact same spot.
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This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
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