NBA Rumors: Did the Miami Heat trade for Shabazz Napier to appease LeBron James?

The Miami Heat were one of the teams in the NBA Draft that got on the trade bandwagon, and when they did, it was a big one as they traded for UConn’s national championship-winning point guard, Shabazz Napier.

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In Napier, they’re getting probably the best floor general that was in this draft class, which for them, is a pretty solid move. For the talent that this team could have –if the Big Three come back– that’s one thing they needed, someone to direct the traffic to near perfection.

What they also got in Napier, however, is the favorite player of the one man of that Big Three they’re trying to get back after he recently opted out of his contract, LeBron James.

It’s been no secret, dating back to the college basketball season, that James is a huge fan of what Napier can do on the floor. Immediately after the trade, James even tweeted out how excited he was.

As soon as that tweet was sent out, the talks began that the Heat either made the move to get Napier to appease LeBron, or he actually had something to do about, whispering in Pat Riley’s ear.

Well, after the draft, Riley shot that talk down, saying that it had nothing to do with James, rather he loves Napier simply because he’s a winner.

“Shabazz Napier is a winner, he’s a two-time NCAA champion and he’s one of the elite players in college basketball,” said HEAT President Pat Riley. “We feel very fortunate we were able to acquire him and we feel like he fits in extremely well. He has a high motor, high basketball IQ, is a great shooter and has great character.”

Maybe LeBron had something to do with it, or maybe he didn’t. Either way, should he re-sign with the Heat, he’ll be playing with someone that he’s a fan of.