The NBA trade deadline is coming up, meaning it’s time to speculate on potential deals the Miami Heat could make.
We’re about three weeks away from the 2017 NBA’s trade deadline. February 23rd (at 3 PM ET) marks the last day that teams can deal players to each other. Some GM’s will attempt to bolster their rosters to get them ready for a deep playoff run, while others will come to the realization that it’s time to tank it, and make a push for a higher lottery pick.
The Miami Heat, now 19-30 after winning eight games in a row, find themselves at a crossroads. Pat Riley could decide that the roster is good enough to build around, and make a trade to help fight for a playoff berth. (No, really, they’re only five games back from Charlotte now!)
Or, maybe he sees this as the opportune time to sell high on some of his players. The odds that Dion Waiters will continue his stellar run of form are… low, at best. It may be best to strike while the iron is hot.
That’s also the case with Goran Dragic, who’s on the wrong side of 30, yet playing excellent basketball. His trade value will never be as high as it is now, so unless Miami sees him as a player you can build around (for the record, I don’t), he could also be a potential sell-high candidate.
With the clock winding down until the deadline, there’s no better time to speculate about which path Riley will take. So I decided to break down four potential trades the Heat could pull off by February 23rd. Some of them will be simple, straight up, player-for-player swaps. Others will be a little more out there. Warning: This will get weird. Let’s get to it.