Although the Miami Heat will always be linked to most stars that come available, February’s trade deadline may bring more modest tweaks to the roster.
The Heat are among the top teams in the East and, while they have dealt with more injuries than most teams, their depth has helped them maintain poll position for homecourt advantage in the first round. Not only that, but players previously thought as trade candidates like Kyle Lowry and Duncan Robinson are playing important roles, curbing their likelihood to get traded.
Sure, if a bona fide star becomes available that could help the Heat even the playing field with the Celtics, Bucks and 76ers, they will have to take a look. Miami has tradeable contracts, interesting assets and the first-round picks to make a run at a big name. But Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Pascal Siakam don’t meet the threshold in terms of talent and/or fit.
Miami’s problem is that it doesn’t have a single lineup that has cracked 100 minutes together this season. Compare that to the starting lineups of contenders in Denver (311 minutes, plus-17.7 net rating), Milwaukee (304 minutes, plus-14 net rating) and Boston (282 minutes, plus-19.6 net rating) and Miami’s lack of continuity could be a concern.
Part of that has been injuries to Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo at various points, but it also doesn’t help that the Heat haven’t seemed to land on a starting power forward or ideal closing lineup.
With that in mind, here’s a look at what the Heat can do to round out the starting lineup and provide some lineup clarity in advance of another push to the Finals.
For a rookie to score 31 points and lead the Miami Heat to a primetime win over the Philadelphia 76ers is hugely impressive. This was the biggest game of Jaquez’s career, and he was starting in place of the injured Jimmy Butler. Had it come against a Sixers team with their best player (Joel Embiid was also sidelined for this game), then Jaquez’s Christmas Day eruption probably ranks higher on this list. Still, the rookie cracks the top six for a team that just made the NBA Finals. Impressive.
The Miami Heat are at a pivotal moment in their pursuit of an NBA championship. With a current record of 17-12, they hold the sixth position in the Eastern Conference. Despite the depth of the Heat’s roster and the outstanding performances of superstars Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Tyler Herro this season, this team may need more to achieve their goal of winning another title.
As the NBA’s unofficial trade deadline kicked off on Dec. 15, All U Can Heat ranked every Heat player by trade likelihood and analyzed what could happen before the Feb. 8 trade deadline. Let’s with No. 14 (least likely to be traded) before landing on the player most likely to get traded this season.
- Jimmy Butler
In July of 2019, the Miami Heat made a significant move by signing All-Star Jimmy Butler to a four-year, $142 million maximum contract. Since then, everything for the Heat has changed.
When in good health, Butler is undoubtedly one of the best wings in the NBA, excelling both on offense and defense. This season, the 33-year-old has been performing consistently, averaging 21.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists.
Despite Jimmy’s steady performance, the Heat still find themselves as a mediocre basketball team — his word. Looking ahead, the team aims to build around him, not replace him. Butler is undeniably the heart and soul of the Heat and, as we saw last playoff run in 2020, capable of leading the team to the Finals.
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