To the credit of the youth gathered at the Miami Heat’s basketball clinic Thursday at the Rolling Loud music-festival venue at Hard Rock Stadium, they tried.
No sooner did a hand go up and the question came out about the Heat possibly trading for Utah Jazz guard Donovan Michell, then Heat guard Victor Oladipo said, “We can’t answer that.”
That, of course, did not, has not, and will not stop the talk, not with the Heat continuing to be linked to potential trades for Mitchell and Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant.
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So not only wouldn’t Oladipo go there, teammate Bam Adebayo also wouldn’t — even though speculation has centered on the possibility that he might be going somewhere.
“It is what it is, control what you can control,” said Adebayo, who has been viewed as a lynchpin to a possible deal for Durant. “Obviously it’s an opportunity for something, but in my opinion, control what you can control. I can’t control that.
“So do what I’ve been doing. I get up early. I work out. Having fun with these kids. And I’m going to go home and go to sleep.”
Both Adebayo and Oladipo were asked about the perception that the Heat have fallen behind by not making outside gains this offseason, having not added a free agent, but having lost starting power forward P.J. Tucker to the Philadelphia 76ers.