The trade deadline is Thursday. On Tuesday, the Miami Heat traded center Dewayne Dedmon to the Spurs to free up a roster spot, presumably in preparation for another trade. Due to the glaring hole that they have at power forward, that and/or center is the team’s main focus. Miami is always one of the more active teams around the deadline, and this season should be no exception.
Eight Miami Heat Trade Rumors and Targets
Potential Trade Fodder
Kyle Lowry
Heat point guard Kyle Lowry has been a topic of discussion. All across the board, his averages are at their lowest in 10+ years, from points to assists to shooting percentage. To make matters worse, he is making over $28 million this season. He turns 37 next month. Granted, he has been dealing with a knee injury. Considering all of that, they still might be hard-pressed to find a suitor for him. The Los Angeles Clippers have been rumored to be interested in him, as they are desperate for a point guard.
Duncan Robinson
Duncan Robinson has been one of the best three-point shooters in the league for the last couple of seasons. He was always been a defensive liability, but his elite shooting made up for it. But this year, he has dropped off significantly. He isn’t starting anymore and is only shooting 33.1% from three-point range. Back in December, an NBA executive said that Robinson has arguably the worst contract in the league. That is going to make it really hard to trade him.
Max Strus
Max Strus is a player that the Heat would really like to keep. He has been another one of those diamonds in the rough that Miami has found and developed into a good player. Because of concerns about trying to avoid the luxury tax resigning the pending free agent could be difficult. Other teams have been calling the Heat about Strus, so there is definitely interest in him.
Potential Trade Targets
Fred VanVleet
The Heat have been talked about as a potential destination for Fred VanVleet in the event that the Raptors decide to trade him. There is no guarantee that he is even made available. Miami is among the teams rumored to be interested in him should be be made available. Miami would have to send back draft picks as a part of any deal, and they would half to decide if VanVleet is the player that they want to do that for.
John Collins
As mentioned before, Miami has a huge hole at power forward that needs to be filled asap. Atlanta has been considering trading John Collins for a while now. He would be a perfect fit to fill that hole. While he has struggled some this season, he has still put together a good stat line. The problem, though, is that the Hawks probably aren’t overly interested in taking on the contracts of guys like Lowry and Robinson, which would probably be needed to make the salaries match.
Jae Crowder
Jae Crowder has not yet played for the Suns this season and has made it known that he wants to be traded. He and the Heat are already familiar with each other, as he played 20 games for them in the 2019-20 season. He played pretty well too. Crowder would probably not be a long-term solution at power forward but would be a great piece to fill that glaring hole at the position. Miami has reportedly offered players like Duncan Robinson and Caleb Martin for him, but the Suns haven’t been impressed with their offers. We’ll have to see if that changes.
It is also worth noting that the Heat are interested in Crowder’s Suns’ teammate and fellow power forward Dario Šarić. But, just like with Crowder, the Suns haven’t been intrigued by what Miami has offered.
P.J. Washington
Another power forward the Heat are reportedly interested in is the Hornets’ P.J. Washington. The two sides were unable to reach an agreement on an extension before the October deadline, so they could be looking to trade him despite usually not being very active around the deadline. Washington is averaging a career-high in points so far this season and could be an excellent piece to slot in at power forward.
Kelly Olynyk
Kelly Olynyk could also be a name to look out for. Like Crowder, he has previously been with the team, having played for the Heat for three and a half seasons. He could be a valuable addition to the team at the power-forward spot. It would not be a long-term fix, but would certainly help a lot for the stretch run this season.
