Miami Heat: 4 Under-the-Radar Trade Targets as Deadline Draws Closer

The Miami Heat don't really need to make a trade to stay among the contenders in the Eastern Conference, but let's enter some alternate reality in which Micky Arison and Pat Riley inexplicably decide that the team needs to swing a deal before the trade deadline. 

What would they do? 

Well, this is an incredibly tough situation because the Miami Heat are most assuredly not a team built to make trades. Their roster is comprised of three superstars and then some spare parts (go with the hyperbole here; I'm not really trying to insult Mike Miller, Udonis Haslem and the rest of the non-Big Three). 

There are no trade exceptions, and the team is rather gutted of draft picks, with only their first-rounder in 2012 left in the near future. I'm assuming they keep that pick because it would be nonsensical for the Cleveland Cavaliers to swap picks with the Heat this year, as they have the option of doing. 

Moreover, I'm assuming that Udonis Haslem is un-tradeable because the Heat are a classy enough organization that they want to reward his loyalty to the franchise. 

So with a very limited hand, let's take a look at some potential deals with an ever-so-slight possibility of them proposing and the other team accepting. 

I'm not saying these are very realistic, just that they're not incredibly unrealistic. Additionally, I have no rumors or sources to back up any of these proposed deals; they're purely speculation.

Let's do it then. To the trade machine.  

Stephen Jackson

Potential Trade: Mike Miller and Shane Battier for Stephen Jackson

Although Stephen Jackson isn't going to request a trade away from the Milwaukee Bucks, he's making it perfectly clear that he isn't happy playing for his new team, as his remarks earlier in the week indicate. 

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"I'm supporting my teammates the way that I've always been. I'm going to respect the coaches; I'm going to respect everybody around. But at the end of the day, everybody knows I want to play. That's not a secret."

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Jackson would be a significant upgrade over Miller for the Miami Heat, even if he would want to shoot a little more than possible with the Big Three on the roster. As for the Bucks, well, they'd be getting rid of an unhappy player who has the potential to develop into a locker-room distraction. 

O.J. Mayo

Potential Trade: Norris Cole, Shane Battier, James Jones and a 2012 First-Round Pick for O.J. Mayo and Sam Young

Sticking with the theme of acquiring a solid shooting guard, this time we've got O.J. Mayo coming to the Miami Heat. 

Mayo is almost always a source of trade rumors; it seems like he really needs to escape from the Memphis Grizzlies in order to make good on his massive amounts of talent. After averaging 18 points per game during his rookie season and posting almost identical numbers as a second-year player, the former USC Trojan has regressed.

A new team could get him back on track. 

Because of his potential and what he's already proven that he can achieve in the NBA, Mayo would command a larger asking price than Stephen Jackson would. So to make it happen, the Heat would have to package their young, high-upside point guard Norris Cole alongside the contracts of Shane Battier and James, while throwing in a first-round pick. 

Andray Blatche

Potential Trade: Udonis Haslem, Shane Battier and a 2012 First-Round Pick for Andray Blatche

Sure, Andray Blatche has been one hell of a head case so far for the Washington Wizards, but that doesn't mean he's without talent.

The Wizards are actively shopping him, and his calf injury could help diminish his value enough that the Miami Heat have a chance to land him. 

If there's a team that could get his head screwed on straight, it would be the one from South Beach; the favorite target of the ire of Wizards fans would be going straight from a cellar-dweller to a top-notch contender for the 2012 NBA title. 

Tony Allen

Potential Trade: Norris Cole, Dexter Pittman and Shane Battier for Tony Allen and Quincy Pondexter

The Miami Heat brought in Shane Battier to be a lock-down defensive player, but as his defensive rating of 103 shows, he hasn't exactly been that. That's where Tony Allen comes in. 

Allen is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, and he'd make the Heat an even more deadly defensive force. 

In return for the services of Allen, the Memphis Grizzlies—who are suddenly struggling to stay above .500 without Zach Randolph in the lineup—would be receiving Battier and two promising young players. Norris Cole is decidedly more promising than Pittman; he would be the prize of this trade from the Grizz's perspective.