Ranking Heat's Top Trade Targets After 2023 NBA Finals Loss
Last season, the Miami Heat snagged the East's No. 1 seed and were a Jimmy Butler three-ball away from representing the conference in the NBA Finals.
This season, they slipped to seventh in the standings and had to escape the play-in tournament before going on an improbable run to the Finals, where they lost 4-1 to the Denver Nuggets.
Along the way, though, the Heat earned the dubious distinction of being the first NBA team to blow a 3-0 series lead.
This postseason still goes down as a huge success, but that swift, sudden fall could still spark major changes in South Beach. After all, 33-year-old Jimmy Butler can only contribute to a championship run for so much longer.
If the Heat seek out win-now support this summer, the following three players should land high on the wish list.
3. Tim Hardaway Jr., Dallas Mavericks
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Very little went right on the offensive end of the floor this season for the Heat. Despite having three 20-point scorers in Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, they ranked among the NBA's least efficient attacks.
There was one major problem with this bunch: It couldn't shoot. Miami fired up plenty of threes, but they didn't convert nearly enough.
The situation is serious enough that the Heat could have major interest in a player like Tim Hardaway Jr., who is overpaid for being a shooting specialist. Unlike Duncan Robinson, though, the 31-year-old at least still provides the shooting. He can be a bit streaky, but when he is on, he'll have unguardable stretches.
As Dallas gets into desperation mode to fix its roster around Luka Dončić, it would almost certainly have interest in unloading Hardaway's deal. The Heat have to find a way to add him while subtracting Robinson, likely in a three-team trade that gives the Mavericks win-now help and a third team a long-term asset or two.
2. Buddy Hield, Indiana Pacers
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Miami's need for shooting is enormous. Buddy Hield might take care of it on his own.
That's the caliber of marksman he is.
He wows with volume and efficiency. He splashes on spot-up chances and on the move. He can even create some scoring chances off the dribble if his team is in a pinch. So, he could functionally find his footing as a three-point specialist, but he has more to offer than the label implies.
Hield is also conceivably available, as his timeline as a 30-year-old doesn't exactly align with that of an Indiana team making its third consecutive appearance in the draft lottery.
1. Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards
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The Heat have had eyeballs on Bradley Beal forever. It feels like that, anyway.
Miami rarely overlooks an available star, and it has been especially drawn to those who might be had at a discount. Beal, who's already on Miami's offseason radar, per Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, could fit that bill.
Since the start of 2019-20, he has made one appearance each in the All-Star Game and the playoffs. He turns 30 this summer and has a lengthy injury history behind him. Oh, and he's just a single season into a five-year pact that will fetch him a quarter-billion dollars.
That contract could sabotage his trade value to most teams, but Miami needs more juice in its half-court offense. If it could keep Beal upright, it would lean heavily on his shot-creation, and it might have enough stoppers to compensate for any of his breakdowns on the defensive end.
The Heat need to find a difference-maker fast if they're going to win big with Butler. Beal might be the best one they can afford.
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