The Miami Heat are healthy and trending up but they’ll still need an offensive upgrade for a deep playoff run. Where could they look for help?
Things are definitely looking up for the Miami Heat. After injuries and absences wracked their rotation early in the season, they’re finally starting to get healthy and build momentum. They’re 7-3 over their last 10 games with a defensive efficiency mark pushing the top-five in the league. However, their offense has still been roughly league average and an upgrade at that end should be a major goal at the NBA trade deadline.
The problem for the Heat is that they don’t have a ton of draft assets or redundant depth with which to spin a deal. Almost any scenario will require them giving up a rotation big like Kelly Olynyk, a young scorer like Kendrick Nunn, a young energy big like Precious Achiuwa and/or one of the few future first-round picks they hold.
Still, there are hypothetical deals that could offer short- and long-term improvements that would make it worth their while.
What deals could be out there for the Miami Heat at the NBA Trade Deadline?
Heat Get
Marvin Bagley
Nemanja Bjelica
Kings Get
Kendrick Nunn
Kelly Olynyk
2021 first-round pick
Mavin Bagley has largely been a disappointment for the Kings but they’ll still be looking for a decent return for him, and Bjelica is a stretchy big on the last year of his deal who will be on the radar of several contenders. That’s why this deal may cost the Heat more than several of the others to come. However, if they could interest the Kings it would certainly be worth considering.
Bjelica is a little smaller than Olynyk but he can do many of the same things on offense and he’s a career 39.0 percent shooter from beyond the arc. Bagley has plenty of warts but he’d be a very intriguing fit in Miami where he could be coaxed into trying less individual creation and more playing off the talented creators and shooters around him. He’d be a great long-term fit next to Bam Adebayo, complementing him with his outside shot and getting a partner who can cover for his defensive weaknesses. This deal may not be a huge win for their championship hopes this season but he’s it’s one of the more intriguing options for their future.