Last-Minute Trade Deadline Ideas for the Miami Heat

The Miami Heat are in the capable hands of team president Pat Riley, but the NBA lifer has some interesting decisions to make at the trade deadline.

According to Ira Winderman of CBS Miami, Riley remains focused on swinging for the fences in the heralded summer of 2016. Despite this long-term vision, the emergence of Hassan Whiteside means the Heat could play the role of a spoiler in the postseason with a healthy Dwyane Wade and a roster tweak here or there.

In making those tweaks, Riley has to balance his desire to make the playoffs this year with cap flexibility for 2016. He also has to look for pieces that can contribute now but be part of Miami’s next championship core. Oh, and he has to do all that without many assets to dangle in trade talks.

As one Eastern Conference general manager told Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the lack of trade chips probably means the Heat don’t make a major move:

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An Eastern Conference general manager said Tuesday the Heat likely lacks the assets to make a meaningful move before the Feb. 19 trade deadline. He said Norris Cole has been mentioned in trade talks "but what are you going to get for him? He’s a backup. They don’t have much to give up. Josh McRoberts would have value for a team out of the playoffs. Birdman [Chris Andersen] would have value for a playoff team but a playoff team is not trading you a quality [wing] for him."

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Apart from Hassan Whiteside, Miami doesn’t have the young talent to net a significant haul in return, but it does have a few pieces that could be of interest to potential contenders—especially in a championship race that seems as wide open as any in recent memory. If Riley does find a willing trade partner, there are three areas where the Heat could use a major upgrade.

Point Guard

Aaron Gash/Associated Press

The point guard position has been Miami’s most glaring flaw all year, and the looming trade deadline is Riley’s last chance to make an upgrade this season. The incumbent trio of Mario Chalmers, Norris Cole and Shabazz Napier have been downright ugly at times, and none have been consistent enough to hold down the starting spot for very long.

Player	Minutes	Points	FG%	3P%	TS%	Assists	Turnovers	PER
Mario Chalmers	30.9	10.8	39.9%	28.5%	51.8%	4.3	2.3	12.1
Norris Cole	24.4	6.3	38.6%	26.5%	45.2%	3.5	1.2	9.9
Shabazz Napier	20.9	5.1	36.8%	34.3%	49.7%	2.6	1.6	8.9

The shooting in particular has been horrendous, and Riley definitely needs to upgrade this position at some point over the course of his rebuild. If he wants to make the playoffs and have a shot at a first-round upset, he needs to make that upgrade now.

Given the plethora of talented point guards around the league, this should be the easiest position to address, but it will be difficult to find a difference-maker for what the Heat can give up.

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported that the Heat are interested in Goran Dragic and Reggie Jackson, but it’s unlikely they can offer enough to truly tempt the front offices of the Phoenix Suns or Oklahoma City Thunder. Furthermore, both will be free agents this summer, and Miami doesn’t have the cap space to re-sign either barring a substantial salary dump.

If those talks fail to gain any traction, the Heat will have to settle for someone less impactful. According to Shams Charania of RealGM, they have had talks surrounding at least one player fitting that description:

That Jameer Nelson could actually be considered an upgrade at the point guard position says it all, but it’s unlikely he moves the needle for this team. He’s shooting a lowly 33 percent from beyond the arc (which somehow means he would be the second-best long-range shooting PG on the team) and an even worse 29.3 percent on catch-and-shoot threes, according to NBA.com.

Nelson has shown the ability to hit big shots in the past, and he’s more of a floor general than the rest of the Heat point guards, but he would be a minor upgrade at most. Miami’s most realistic improvement at the position is a Suns point guard—just not the aforementioned Dragic.

Isaiah Thomas makes more sense thanks to his favorable contract and Phoenix’s reported preference to trade him rather than Dragic, via Marc Stein of ESPN:

With the increasing salary cap and the boatloads of space Miami has already cleared out for 2016, Thomas’ average salary of $6.75 million shouldn’t affect its future plans. His contract is a bargain and projects to be tradable if Riley deems it necessary.

Most importantly, he’s a major upgrade over the rest of the team’s point guards, and he can play as a starter or as a microwave off the bench for a contending team. Riley is sure to discuss trades for Reggie Jackson, Goran Dragic and even Ty Lawson, but Thomas may be the most gettable option.

Backup Shooting Guard

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

Dwyane Wade has been excellent when he’s played this year, but the Heat lack a reliable backup. Tyler Johnson has had some promising moments, but he’s only played 140 minutes in the NBA, and he’s undersized at 6’3” and 190 pounds. Given Wade’s penchant for missing games, the backup SG needs to be ready for expanded minutes, and it’s hard to count on an unknown commodity like Johnson.

The Heat are clearly cognizant of this limitation since they have been engaged in talks regarding Arron Afflalo, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne:

Afflalo would be a major upgrade, providing some much-needed three-point shooting as well as perimeter defense and the versatility to play the 2 or 3. He’s also fully capable of starting whenever Wade is ruled out, but there are plenty of other teams interested in the UCLA product, and it seems unlikely that Miami’s package is better than anyone else’s.

Gary Neal and Gerald Green are cheaper options who could bring the three-point shooting but nothing else. Either one is an improvement over Johnson, however, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see Riley go after them if they can be had for a reasonable price.

Frontcourt Depth

Brian Babineau/Getty Images

Thanks to the spectacular rise of Hassan Whiteside, this is no longer a dire need and is clearly behind the preceding issues in terms of importance. That said, it’s still an area where Miami could benefit from a trade.

Whiteside and Chris Bosh form an intimidating frontcourt duo, and despite a slight dip in production, Chris Andersen is an effective reserve big man in short spurts. After that, it gets a little hairy.

Josh McRoberts would be an ideal third big, but his season-ending injury means head coach Erik Spoelstra is counting on Udonis Haslem and Shawne Williams to soak up the remainder of the big man minutes. Haslem’s best days are long gone, and Williams has been a decent small-ball power forward, but those lineups have hemorrhaged points defensively.

If the Heat are serious about making some noise in this year’s playoffs, Brandon Bass is a reliable option who could provide toughness and rebounding while knocking down mid-range jumpers. He could play an important role for the team, but the financial side of such a deal doesn’t make sense, as he’ll enter free agency this summer.

If Riley wants to make a long-term play, he could look within the state at the Orlando Magic, who are shopping Andrew Nicholson, per Stein.

Nicholson never found his niche with the Magic, but he’s a skilled offensive player with shooting touch. It wouldn’t take much to get him, but the Heat could benefit in a big way if they are able to harness his talent, though it’s unlikely he could contribute right now.

Ideally, Miami could get a player who bridges the gap between instant contribution (Bass) and long-term development (Nicholson), and that player might just be Miles Plumlee.

Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports indicated that the Suns would like to trade Plumlee, and Miami could swoop in if the price is right.

Plumlee exceeded expectations in Phoenix last year, but he’s fallen out of favor due to the progress of Alex Len. He could sop up those reserve frontcourt minutes right now with the potential to be a quality role player moving forward.

All statistics accurate as of 2/17/2015 and courtesy of NBA.com/Stats or Basketball-Reference unless otherwise noted.