‘The Miami Heat seek to trade for four(4) All-Star guards who could be available this summer, Heat need help, particularly on offense and bent on securing several’, coach Erik Spoelstra said after disappointing loss…..
Depending on how this season ends, the Miami Heat could seek to trade for one of several All-Star guards who could be available this summer.
The Miami Heat need help, particularly on offense. Even after climbing to fourth in defensive rating, the Heat are still dragged by the league’s 21st-rated offense.
This has too often been the case during the Jimmy Butler era. Contributions from role players like Duncan Robinson, Max Strus, Caleb Martin and Kendrick Nunn over the years have been helpful, but the Heat have been seeking a co-star to help carry the burden on offense since 2019. Bam Adebayo can only be asked to do so much.
It’s why the Heat have chased stars like Donovan Mitchell, Kevin Durant and Damian Lillard. All are bona fide scorers capable of creating easy buckets in any context – something Miami sorely needs.
“Our level of effort toughness disposition, all of that weren’t to our standards,” coach Erik Spoelstra said after Sunday’s disappointing loss to the Indiana Pacers. “And it has to be every single possession.”
That wouldn’t necessarily be the case if the Heat had an offensive star who could score consistently. If the Heat fail to complete the stated goal of winning a championship again, they could look to take another big swing this summer.
With that in mind, here are three guards who could become available that the Heat could try to pair with Butler and Adebayo for next season.
3. Donovan Mitchell
Since the All-Star break, few teams have been as disappointing as the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are 10-16 in that stretch and have lost ground in the Eastern Conference standings.
What once seemed like a team that could push the top squads in the conference is playing like a group ready for Kokomo.
The noise around Donovan Mitchell’s future in Cleveland has been plenty loud since the Cavs traded for the All-Star guard in 2022 and not many expect him to sign an extension with the franchise. That noise only grew louder after Mitchell’s non-commital response to questions about his desire to stay in Cleveland.
According to Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus, “The buzz in NBA circles suggests that barring a run to the NBA Finals, Mitchell will decline an extension and look elsewhere, and the Cavaliers are more likely than not to move him well before he can leave outright as a free agent.”
Should Mitchell become available, there will be plenty of teams interested in trading for him, including the Miami Heat. Whether they can beat the best offers and land Mitchell is another question but Mitchell will have some control in directing where he lands since any suitor would want him to agree to an extension.
2. Trae Young
Sometimes everyone can tell when a relationship has run its course, and it seems like we are nearly there with Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks. Since Young has been sidelined with a finger injury, the Hawks are 12-10 as Dejounte Murray has steered Atlanta to the end of the season.
It became increasingly clear that the Hawks would need to split up Young and Murray – they simply aren’t better with both of them than with one of them.
Should the Hawks shop one of their guards this summer, they’d likely get more in return for Young. Would the return be worth parting with the franchise player and be enough to retool around Murray, Jalen Johnson, and whatever other pieces the Hawks would keep around? That much is unclear, but most around the league expect the Hawks to at least explore the possibility.
Though Young comes with his warts (poor defense, questionable attitude with his coaches, etc) there is no doubt that he is one of the league’s best passers and pick-and-roll ball-handlers. Pairing Young with a screen-setter like Bam Adebayo is a natural fit and would take the responsibility of carrying the offense off Jimmy Butler.
1. Damian Lillard
Ah, here we go again. Did the Heat miss their chance to trade for Damian Lillard, or did they simply wait long enough to get him for less?
If the Milwaukee Bucks’ unravel in the first round again, it wouldn’t be a shock if Lillard tried to navigate his way out of Milwaukee this summer. After all, it’s not as if Doc Rivers and a shaky roster have inspired much confidence.
Perhaps the Bucks could be persuaded into trading Lillard to build a slightly younger, more complete roster around Giannis Antetokounmpo (who will be 30 next season) to help extend his championship window.
If the Bucks were to field offers for Lillard, it’s doubtful they would get the same return the Trail Blazers got a year ago. Lillard is still an All-Star, high-octane scorer and feared floor spacer, but at 33 he’s showing some decline. Lillard is averaging the fewest points (24.5) in a full season since 2014-15 and his lowest overall field-goal percentage (42.5%) since 2015-16.
Still, he’d be the Heat’s top scorer this season. Lillard with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo on an Erik Spoelstra-coached team is arguably a better fit than what Lillard has in Milwaukee. The Heat wanted Lillard before. Maybe they’ll have another chance this summer.
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