Miami Heat Reportedly Trade Dexter Pittman to Memphis Grizzlies

While the Miami Heat are supposed to be in the market for size, they struck a deal with Memphis to send one of their bigs, Dexter Pittman, to the Grizzlies, according to Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports. 

Pittman's absence is not going to hurt the Heat in any way. He has played in four games this season, averaging 1.5 points and 1.8 rebounds. 

The Heat own the best record in the Eastern Conference at 37-14, five games better than the New York Knicks and 5.5 games clear of the Indiana Pacers. They are on their way to a No. 1 seed in the playoffs despite ranking last in the NBA in rebounds per game.

Their leading rebounder is LeBron James at 8.1 per game. In fact, other than James, Chris Bosh and Udonis Haslem, no one else on the roster is averaging more than five rebounds per game. 

Pittman hasn't appeared in a game since a Dec. 22 victory against Utah, when he played just two minutes and grabbed two rebounds. 

However, it's easy to see Pittman's appeal for a team like the Grizzlies. This franchise has been trying to save money and remain competitive, which it has done this season.

Pittman is a low-cost, low-risk investment. He is just 24 years old and in his third season in the league. He did play quite a bit in the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season, appearing in 35 games with six starts. He shot nearly 47 percent from the field and averaged three points in just under nine minutes per game.

Pittman gives the Grizzlies another option at the power forward and center positions. They are not lacking in size, with three players listed at 6'10" or higher, but having a bevy of big men is always a plus, especially in a physical playoff series.