If the Miami Heat can’t land a superstar this summer, they should focus on creating the flexibility needed to make that trade in the future.
It’s been a tough start to free agency for the Miami Heat, with rivals in Philadelphia, New York, and Orlando making significant improvements while the Heat have yet to make a substantial move.
It seems Miami might be headed for a gap year, where the front office can bring back the same core for another season and hope for a deep postseason run before deciding on Jimmy Butler’s future next June.
However, if the Heat can’t make a major addition to compete with the top teams in the East, they should aim to accomplish something this summer.
The Heat typically avoid taking a step back, even a calculated one, but given their current lack of financial and asset flexibility, there’s a strong argument for doing so now.
If a star player doesn’t become a realistic option for the Heat in the coming days, they could explore trades to create cap space and replenish their draft capital, better positioning themselves to retool around Bam Adebayo over the next half-decade.
Here are three trade ideas to help them do that:
Trade Tyler Herro for Immediate Cap Flexibility
The Pistons need shooting, and the Heat need cap relief. Trading the remaining three years and $93 million on Herro’s contract into Detroit’s cap space accomplishes that.
While it would be tough to part with Herro—a 24-year-old 20-point scorer with elite shooting ability—the Heat could receive Jaden Ivey and a future first-round pick in return.
Ivey, the fifth pick in the 2022 draft, hasn’t fully met expectations with the Pistons, but his talent is tantalizing. Seeing how the 22-year-old Ivey responds to being in Miami, as opposed to a rocky Pistons situation, would be worth the investment.
This move would result in more than $21 million in cap savings this year and unlock the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which the Heat could use to add to the roster.
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