3 power forwards the Miami Heat could trade for in playoff push

Phoenix Suns SF/PF P.J. Tucker

I know what some of you are thinking: “Who?”

P.J. Tucker may not be a known commodity to the casual NBA fan, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s a very serviceable role player. Despite his limited height (6-foot-6 on a good day), Tucker has solid girth (250 pounds) that helps him with his best asset — his defense. Over the past 11 game, the Heat lead the league in defensive rating. Adding another top-notch defender like Tucker couldn’t hurt.

Although he may not be your typical stretch-4, Tucker is a career 34.9 percent three-point shooter. That’s right around league average. And because he has spent the last four seasons in Phoenix, he’s learned how to function next to a center who is similar to Hassan Whiteside in Tyson Chandler.

Tucker may not be the flashiest passer, but he’s still a decent distributor. He has the ability to find cutters (something Justise Winslow specializes in) or big men with lobs.

He’s also a versatile defender, who can switch between covering perimeter-oriented forwards and back-to-the-basket 4’s. Tucker averages 1.5 steals per game in 28 minutes of action.

Also, advanced metrics like Value Over Replacement Player (VORP for short) love him. Tucker’s VORP is a healthy 1.1, good for 76th in the NBA, ahead of players like Serge Ibaka and Steven Adams. (For comparison’s sake, Babbitt’s VORP is -0.1, which ranks him 332nd overall.) And finally, the Suns net rating is 1.7 points better with Tucker on the floor.

Clearly, Tucker is a good player who doesn’t have the raw stats to back it up. Regardless, he would be a major upgrade at the position for Miami. How do we make this happen?

Heat trade Tyler Johnson to the Minnesota Timberwolves; Phoenix Suns trade PJ Tucker to Miami; Timberwolves trade Tyus Jones to Miami and Shabazz Muhammad to Phoenix

Just four days ago, reports surfaced that the Suns offered the Minnesota Timberwolves: Tucker in exchange for Shabazz Muhammad. The Heat could theoretically get into discussions by dangling a young, enticing guard in Tyler Johnson to the Timberwolves, and turning it into a three-team deal.

The Suns would be getting the player they originally wanted in Muhammad. Outside of TJ Warren, they lack scoring on the wing; Muhammad certainly helps them fill that hole.

Despite the fact that the Timberwolves would not get the player they requested (Tucker), whispers of that trade came out before Minnesota suffered an unfortunate loss to their starting rotation.

Zach Lavine (‘Wolves starting 2-guard) tore his ACL over the weekend and will miss the rest of the season. So in this hypothetical, the Heat would send them Johnson in an attempt cover for his absence. Johnson isn’t quite the athlete Lavine is, but he’s no slouch either. He’s also still just 24 years-old, with a ton of upside. He’d fit nicely with the youth movement they have going on. (Not to mention, Miami would get out of paying him $38.5 million over two seasons starting in 2018-’19.)

And the Heat receive Tucker; a rugged defender who can stretch the floor just enough to not clog the paint, and has a touch of play-making ability. Along with a young point guard (Tyus Jones) who has a lot of potential, but doesn’t get enough playing time with the Timberwolves.

Tucker makes the Heat’s starting 5 more formidable and Jones can be groomed into being a more-than-serviceable backup point guard. This trade is what we would call a win-win-win.