Miami Heat Hot Topics: Westbrook no more, Chris Paul trade next?

In this week’s edition of Miami Heat Hot Topics, we take a look at the trade that sent Russell Westbrook to Houston, the fallout from that deal and more.

In our weekly look at the world of the Miami Heat, we’ll examine the week that was. The trade of Russell Westbrook to the Houston Rockets came out of nowhere, and it set up a possible future trade of Chris Paul from his now current team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, to the Heat.

Aside from the Westbrook trade being over and done with, the Heat also signed both of their rookies, KZ Okpala and Tyler Herro, and we state the case for Dwyane Wade to return to the court for one last #OneLastDance.

Without further ado, let’s get into this week’s Miami Heat Hot Topics.

The Heat sign KZ Okpala, not Tyler Herro:

The Heat finally sign Tyler Herro:

In a real one-two punch, the Heat did sign both rookies last week, first Okpala and then Herro shortly thereafter. More likely than not, Herro was kept unsigned for this extended period so if necessary he could be packaged in a deal for Westbrook, but that never panned out. In fact, Herro was signed before Westbrook ended up being traded, so the Heat were clearly intent on keeping him in the fold.

Flash should give the Heat one more dance:

Things have changed in Miami since Dwyane Wade last laced them up for the Heat just a couple of months ago. Former Chicago Bulls’ teammate Jimmy Butler is now the man on South Beach, close friend Chris Paul may be next, could Wade make a return for one final FINAL season? Our Kenneth Wilson makes the case for one more dance.

Kendrick Nunn making the case for a role on the team next year:

Every year Summer League we see flashes from players who fade on the big stage once the NBA’s regular season begins. Sometimes, however, these flashes turn out to be the real deal. Whether that’s the case for Kendrick Nunn remains to be seen, but he had a fantastic Las Vegas Summer League and did all he could to show that he deserves a shot at the Heat rotation next season.

Russell Westbrook traded to the Rockets, not the Heat:

The blockbuster deal that ended up going down between the Rockets and Thunder sent Russell Westbrook to Oklahoma City in exchange for Paul and almost half a decade’s worth of draft picks and swaps. It was a haul of assets the Miami Heat were simply not willing to match, and Westbrook is a Houston Rocket as a result.

Heat may be destination for Chris Paul after trade:

The Heat may not be completely out of luck for yet another blockbuster trade as the Thunder seem interested in moving Paul before next season starts. The Thunder would like to get out of the luxury tax and to do so sooner than later, and Paul’s contract is gargantuan and clearing it is important towards that goal. The Heat are interested, but not intensely so and all indications are that they still don’t plan on giving up any high-value assets for his services.

Is Melo willing to buy into Heat Culture?

In this fascinating and bizarre offseason, maybe what the Miami Heat are missing is yet another Banana Boat member. With Dwyane Wade being a Heat lifer (aside from his brief exile to Cleveland and Chicago), Chris Paul being a possible trade candidate, why not go after Carmelo Anthony to round out the roster and reunite the crew? If they can pull that off, all that’s left is to go get LeBron James. Consider these marching orders for team president Pat Riley.

A whacky 4-team trade that could make the Heat the top team in the East:

The NBA has been re-shuffled and flipped on its head this summer already, so how about infinitely more chaos? Our very own Rahmeaun Rahming cooked up a mega-blockbuster four-team trade between the Miami Heat, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Washington Wizards and the Oklahoma City Thunder which would see Kevin Love, John Wall, Bradley Beal and Chris Paul among a host of other players finding new homes. Check this piece out if you love the chaos of the NBA.

Check back again soon for our next edition of Hot Topics as we continue to break down the happenings in the world of the Miami Heat.