Miami Heat Trade Rumors: Ranking the Moves Most Likely to Happen

For some strange reason, the Miami Heat aren't as involved in the trade deadline as they were last season.

You can only wonder why. Perhaps it's because they're 29-9 and have little to no need to make any significant moves? The fact that the media isn't making up deals such as trading Chris Bosh or Mike Miller isn't taking place either. Instead, we return to normalcy and realize that the Heat are good rather than focusing on all those little weaknesses.

Do the Heat need a big man? Sure, it wouldn't hurt. But how badly do they need one? Bad enough to trade away some bench players and possibly disrupt chemistry? Doubtful. Power forwards aren't too hard to find, but a center sure is. Acquiring a seven-footer for a low price is unbelievably difficult in today's game where they're valued more than gold.

There aren't too many rumors surrounding the Heat, but we were able to find a few worth mentioning including a few big men and the idea of possibly trading two players and how absurd it sounds.

Expect the Heat to make some noise over the next week and a half, but don't expect anything catastrophic or significant to happen in South Beach. The Heat are no longer desperate enough to sign an out of work Erick Dampier to address the issues at center.

Or are they? Let's just see, shall we?

Trading Mike Miller or Udonis Haslem?

I feel like this has to be addressed since these rumors will be expected to be prominent in the next few days worth of trade and free agency talk.

Udonis Haslem is in the worst offensive stretch of his career. There's no secret about that as it was put on full display when he botched a wide-open mid-range jumper that would have given the Miami Heat a victory against the Utah Jazz, and then proceeded to get dominated by the Los Angeles Lakers frontcourt in a second consecutive loss that followed up on a nine-game winning streak.

Haslem was the starting power forward for the Heat in their loss to the Lakers, but was on the bench at the start of the third quarter with the Heat opting to place LeBron James at the four, which turned out to be a whole lot more efficient. Haslem's defense and rebounding was no match against the Lakers', or Jazz', huge frontcourts when the team needed him most.

Don't let Mike Miller's stats fool you. It's easy to look at that 52 percent shooting from deep and wonder what the problem could be. You have to watch Miller in order to understand why there has been some frustration building around him. He's only averaging two three-point attempts per game and is supposed to be considered as the Heat's main perimeter threat, a role that has now be usurped by Mario Chalmers.

Miller simply isn't getting open. He's not creating much separation from his defenders and isn't taking advantage of the influence that the big three provide in order to create open shots. Even when he does create some space, Miller is still hesitant on taking perimeter jumpers and only adds to the problem of the ball sticking on the perimeter or over passing.

He's averaging six points per, one point off his career low which he had in last year's injury-plagued season.

Before everyone gets into hysterics over trading these two, I think it would be best to point out that neither of these players are going anywhere. Miller's contract at $30 million over five years is basically immovable and Haslem isn't going to be desired by any team when you consider that he's in an awful slump and coming off of season-ending foot surgery.

The Heat are going to stick it out with the two players who are supposed to be the top performers off the bench. Haslem's shot will come back eventually and Miller will eventually convert on the shots that his teammates get him.

There's no time to panic when we're barely halfway through the season when they just lost two games in a row playing without their only scoring big man and arguably top rebounder. Of course they'd struggle without Chris Bosh. That doesn't mean we should begin thinking about who the Heat should trade in order to get some unnecessary help.

Kyrylo Fesenko

If the Miami Heat are that desperate for size at a low cost, they may have to make a short trip to Russia.

Twenty-five-year-old center Kyrylo Fesenko is still an unrestricted free agent after not reaching any sort of deal with the Utah Jazz or any other team. Despite his size, teams still strayed away from Fesenko possibly because of how raw he is.

Considering that he's also mainly an enforcer that does nothing other than throw cheap shots is a strong possible reason as well. From Kobe Bryant to LeBron James to Dwyane Wade, no player is safe from the hulking mass that would prefer to utilize his physical attributes more than his mental ones.

My guess is that there isn't much of a mental game inside of Fesenko's head, thus the reason why not one of 30 NBA teams would sign a center that's listed at 7'1" and 288 pounds. As desperate as teams are for a big man, there's an obvious reason why no team in the league even decided to give him a shot.

From the Miami Heat, not much has been said of involvement with Fesenko. Word is that prior to the start of the season they were coveting him, but not much has been said since December 22nd when it was originally announced. My guess is that they were too sold on Eddy Curry to take another look at Fesenko.

However, now that depth at the four and five is becoming exposed, perhaps the Heat will begin to take another look. Fesenko played with the Jazz as a backup for four years and would start in seven games. He'd average two points and two boards per in his short time in the NBA.

The Heat aren't asking for much, so don't be surprised if you hear them having interest once again in the mad Russian.

Chris Kaman

Obtaining Chris Kaman has been the most popular rumor swirling around the hot, humid air of Miami.

The fact that it's holding water, I'm not sure why. The New Orleans Hornets and former Los Angeles Clippers center has been on unsteady ground with his new team as they have gone as far as telling him to stay home so that they may find a suitor for him. Kaman has had no objection whatsoever and anticipates a deal to happen.

Taken in the same draft as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in 2003, Kaman hasn't had as glamorous a career, but an efficient one nonetheless. He's averaged as much as 19 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks per and has shown on many occasions why he is arguably the most gifted offensive-minded center in the league.

Kaman can hit from the mid-range and even use his feet to do work in the post. It doesn't sound like much, but that's huge in today's game. It's tough to find a player that's Kaman's size and has the footwork and offensive game of a center from over a decade ago. An offensive threat in the post like Kaman comes around only so often that it would be ridiculous not to take a stab at him.

Thus why you're hearing the Miami Heat possibly being in talks to acquire the seven-footer. There's an obvious need for a center on the team and with no options available in free agency, the Heat are going to have to simply wait for Kaman to be bought out so they can give him a contract of their own.

Of course, that's where the problem lies. The Heat have barely any money to sign another player and they're going to be attempting to woo a player to sign with them that's currently making $14 million. Kaman would be making barely $2 million per season if he joins the Heat and I'm not sure a starting spot and a guaranteed title could convince him to sign for that little.

It's wishful thinking to envision Kaman joining the team, but it won't happen unless he takes an extravagant pay cut that would be one of the most significant in sports history.

Rasheed Wallace

As if the Miami Heat locker room couldn't stuff in another ego, the organization has actually gone out of their way to give Rasheed Wallace a personal workout.

It turns out that the team wasn't done with signing overweight retired players. With the deficiency at the four and five becoming more and more prominent by the day, the team has actually become desperate enough to give a workout to a 37-year-old headache who hasn't played since 2010. It's reported that the team gave him a workout as early as last week.

It wouldn't be the first time that the Heat have worked out a player who you would expect to be done with their basketball career. The team did give Eddy Curry a workout last year when he was still pushing nearly 400 pounds, so why not give Wallace a shot as well? The Heat aren't alone with this idea, as the Los Angeles Lakers also gave Wallace a workout and came extremely close to signing him.

Wallace never lived up to the potential and expectations many had him at, but he was still consistent and efficient enough of a player to lead several teams deep into the postseason. After his rookie year in Washington, Wallace would spend the next seven-and-a-half seasons with Portland where he would average as much as 19 points and eight boards per.

They would trade him to Atlanta, but would only play a game before getting sent to the Detroit Pistons. Playing alongside the likes of Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince and Ben Wallace, Rasheed would help to lead the Pistons to their first title since 1990 in the half of a season he spent there. He would spend a few more solid seasons with Detroit before signing with the Boston Celtics.

Wallace was already a shell of himself by the time he got there and would end his career after averaging nine points and four boards in the lone season he spent there. He wasn't doing that bad for a 35-year-old, as he still played in 79 games at 22 minutes per contest.

It's a desperation move by the Heat, but it's also the right one. The Heat need anybody, and I mean anybody, to assist in bolstering the frontcourt and Wallace would be the lone big man to come at a cheap enough price for the Heat.

Remember, the Heat don't need much. As long as they can get a big man who can rebound and finish near the rim, they're satisfied.