NBA Trade Rumors: Heat Trying to Offload Salary, Warriors Set to Keep Draft Pick
Although the NBA hasn't seen a trade completed in several months, the rumor mill is beginning to gain momentum.
This offseason, so many players changed teams that a sizable number of potential deals couldn't be completed until Dec. 15 anyway. Those who signed free-agent contracts will finally be eligible for a trade when the deadline passes.
And the Miami Heat are expected to make some changes—or, at the very least, continue looking around.
James Johnson and Dion Waiters have fallen out of the rotation, and rejoining it seems unlikely. The former has played just 68 minutes in six appearances and the latter hasn't yet made his season debut, and the Heat are thriving with a 15-6 record.
Miami is rather stuck because of their contracts, though.
According to HoopsHype, Johnson is due $15.3 million this season and holds a $16 million player option for 2020-21. No matter where's he playing, he will very likely exercise that option. Waiters is signed for $12.1 million this year and $12.65 million next season, both of which are fully guaranteed.
Since neither player is a regular contributor right now, NBA teams aren't exactly lining up to take on those contracts.
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel said Miami may need to attach a younger player or draft pick in order to find a trade partner for Johnson or Waiters.
"Just because the Heat have too many potential rotation players doesn't mean the league is going to allow them to easily offload," he wrote. "With so many teams at or near the tax line, there is only so much flexibility possible."
The problem is most of Miami's young players are also key contributors. Bam Adebayo, Kendrick Nunn, Tyler Herro or Duncan Robinson are all double-digit scorers playing 25-plus minutes per game. And the Heat shouldn't be in any hurry to trade third-year forward Derrick Jones Jr. or rookie KZ Okpala.
Granted, we use "problem" loosely.
Through 21 games, the Heat are just 3.5 games behind the Milwaukee Bucks for the Eastern Conference's best record.
Miami would prefer to offload the large salaries of Johnson and Waiters, but the team shouldn't sacrifice a young piece or draft pick—again. That conclusion can be reassessed if Miami starts to struggle, which simply might not happen anyway.
On the other hand, the Golden State Warriors have myriad issues and no immediate solution. As long as Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are sidelined—and that is expected to be March and the entire season, respectively—they will continue losing games at an unfamiliar pace in the Steve Kerr era.
And, per Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle, the impending top draft pick should stay in Golden State.
"I've been told that, if the Warriors get the No. 1 pick, they will almost definitely keep it," he wrote. "If Golden State got another pick in the Top 5, I still think there's a good chance it holds onto the selection."
The major storyline to monitor is what the Warriors will choose regarding D'Angelo Russell. Acquired in the sign-and-trade sending Kevin Durant to the Brooklyn Nets, he is among the players who will be eligible for a trade after Dec. 15.
If he's eventually dealt, Golden State will probably be seeking a first-round selection (or two) in the deal. So, given Letourneau's report and the Warriors' actual assets, it appears more likely the team has multiple first-round choices in 2020 than none.
While the trade rumors involving Russell haven't quite arrived, they're probably coming soon.
Follow Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.
