With NBA Free Agency dying down many teams still aren’t completely satisfied with their current roster. The Miami Heat may be one of those teams. They made some big moves this offseason with the biggest being their acquisition of Jimmy Butler via trade. While this move definitely improved the quality of their roster they are still not up to par with some of the other teams in the league. Pat Riley has expressed interest in acquiring another star to pair with Butler and have one last run at a championship. With free agency all but over the only way to accomplish this is by making some offseason trades.
Possible Miami Heat Trades This Offseason
A Trio of Players for Bradley Beal
Speculation of Bradley Beal being traded away from the Washington Wizards has been going on for months now and Miami has been the team atop the list of potential landing spots. Beal has reportedly held the Heat in high regard which makes them his most likely trade suitor. Miami wants another star who plays unselfishly, but can also take over a game when needed. This is exactly what Beal would bring to the table. He would instantly provide a scoring boost as well as much needed leadership skills and experience.
Washington has been hesitant to even listen to offers for Beal, so Miami would need to make the offer very enticing. They would likely need to give up three players to have a chance at getting a deal done. First, they need to give up at least one member of their talented young core. Justise Winslow or Bam Adebayo would be the two Washington is most interested in. Next, they would need to give up an expiring contract. This would most likely be Goran Dragic as the contracts need to match and he can still be of value. Lastly, they would need to add a sweetener to the deal which more than likely would be Derrick Jones Jr. Jones Jr. has shown some freakish athletic ability but has yet to live up to his potential. This should be enough to compensate the Wizards for giving up such a stellar player.
Bad Contracts for Chris Paul and Draft Picks
Even at age 34, Chris Paul can still improve a team and help them win. He can still score at a steady rate as well as contribute on the defensive side of the ball. The problem with a trade for Paul isn’t his skill, it’s his over-expensive contract. Paul is due to make over 124 million dollars over the next three years of his current deal. Any team that trades for that will be financially handicapped in future offseasons. The Heat have their fair share of bad contracts they may be willing to swap with the Oklahoma City Thunder for Paul.
As previously stated Paul’s contract is a lot to take on for any team. However, the Heat may be willing to do so if it means dropping some of their own expensive deals. These would include the contracts of players like James Johnson, Kelly Olynyk, Dion Waiters, and potentially Goran Dragic. All of these players would not be included in the trade, but at least two to three would need to be. Even with unloading these contracts the Heat would still be limited in the 2021 free agency period. This means that the Thunder would need to add more than Paul to sweeten the deal. The price to complete the trade would be two future first-round picks. This would equally compensate both sides in a trade of bad contracts.
Solid Rotational Players for Kevin Love
After trading away Hassan Whiteside to the Portland Trailblazers the Heat may be looking to improve their front-court talent. Other than Adebayo and Olynyk they are kind of short-handed in that department. A player with the talent Kevin Love possesses could easily help boost the team and take them to the next level. The Cleveland Cavaliers would need to be compensated well, but not so well that the Heat have to give up their young core.
The potential trade would consist of quality role players. The two biggest names that come to mind are Olynyk and Waiters. Both are high upside players who can provide quality minutes either starting or off the bench. The Heat would likely also need to include a first-round pick. This trade would compensate the Cavaliers well enough for a player of Love’s caliber, but not take too much away from the Heat’s talented young core.
Many of these players may want to be a part of the culture they have. These trades may never happen and the Heat could just play the waiting game to add more stars to their roster. However, with Pat Riley running the team just about any trade is a possibility.
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