Trade Targets for Heat to Avoid at 2024 Deadline
The Miami Heat were the latest team to shakeup NBA trade season with their recent acquisition of Terry Rozier.
They may not be done dealing yet. At least, they shouldn't be if they're hoping to round this roster into championship-contending form.
While Rozier helps scratch their itch for perimeter scoring and creation, the Heat have other holes to fill between now and the Feb. 8 trade deadline. A wealth of players may potentially populate their shopping list, but the following three players shouldn't be among them.
Andre Drummond, Chicago Bulls
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Heat fans might take issue with this, as the squad could use more size and a better presence on the glass.
Andre Drummond checks both boxes as a 6'11", 279-pounder who has corralled an absurd 16.3 rebounds per 36 minutes for his career, per Basketball-Reference.
If Miami goes big-man shopping, though, it should hunt for players with more diverse skill trees than Drummond possesses.
He's not much of a scoring threat in general, and all of his point-production occurs in the restricted area. Considering the ideal frontcourt addition would be able to coexist with Bam Adebayo (a non-shooter) and Jimmy Butler (a rather reluctant one), Drummond's lack of range alone might knock him off the wish list. Beyond that, though, he's also an exploitable defender in space, and he's never been the type of paint protector his massive frame says he should be.
Markelle Fultz, Orlando Magic
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While the Heat just added Rozier, they could still seek out more playmaking at the deadline. He's a clear on-court upgrade over Kyle Lowry, but he may not have the same natural floor general qualities as his predecessor. Rozier's arrival also does nothing to mask the fact Josh Richardson has underwhelmed during his return to South Beach.
So, yes, a table-setter could still be on the shopping list, and Markelle Fultz technically fits that description (career 5.0 assists against 2.0 turnovers per game). He's also a plucky point-of-attack defender, and it's not like Miami should plan on getting a ton of defensive resistance from the Rozier-Tyler Herro backcourt.
Widen the lens from these two areas, though, and that's where Fultz's potential utility to the Heat falls apart.
Miami will always need optimal spacing around the Butler-Adebayo tandem, and Fultz rarely even looks at the basket when he's beyond the arc (three attempts and zero makes in 12 games this season). His $17 million salary, per Spotrac, would also necessitate the sacrifice of someone like Duncan Robinson or Caleb Martin, both of whom are much better fits for this roster than Fultz would be.
Zeke Nnaji, Denver Nuggets
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There's a chance someone could see Zeke Nnaji's evaporating role in Denver as a possible chance to buy (extremely) low on a relatively recent first-round pick (No. 22 in 2020). And if he is rerouted at the deadline, you'd hope for his sake that he lands in a developmental program as strong as what the Heat can offer.
But what would Nnaji offer Miami in return?
He is supposed to be a shooter with size (6'9", 240 pounds), but his three-point connection rate has cratered since the start of last season (27.5 percent). There are reasons the championship-chasing Nuggets have explored other options with their backup big-man spot, and those should be signs for the Heat to stay away.
If all of that isn't enough, his recent contract extension also made him subject to the poison pill provision, meaning it'd be trickier to make the money work in a deal for him than it would be with most other trade candidates. It's hard to come up with a logical reason for why the Heat would even try to jump through those financial hoops.
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