Miami Heat: Is it time to let go of guard Wayne Ellington?

Is it time for the Miami Heat and Wayne Ellington to part ways?

Wayne Ellington’s inconsistent minutes raise the question of if the Miami Heat would be better off trading the sharp shooter.

Ellington is one of the most consistent shooters in the NBA, a skill that is sought after in today’s game. However, Ellington no longer seems to be sought after in the Heat’s rotation.

The Heat signed Ellington to a one-year, $6.2 million deal this offseason, after his stellar first season in Miami in which he averaged a career-high 11.2 points per game, shooting 39.2 percent from 3-point range in 77 games, the most of his career.

This season, though, has been a different story.

Ellington missed the first seven games of the season with an ankle injury and didn’t make his season-debut until November 3. Over the next 16 games, Ellington played his typical minutes, averaging nearly 26 per contest, scoring 10 points.

Ellington missed the next three games due to personal reasons, but ever since his return, his role has been much different.

Ellington logged 17 minutes in Utah on December 12, but then played just five minutes in Memphis two days after. And on December 16, he didn’t get a single minute in the team’s game against the Pelicans.

To make matters worse, Iin the 11 games Ellington has not played in, the Heat have had a 6-5 record.

One of the main reasons Ellington’s role has significantly diminished is the improving play of Derrick Jones Jr.

In the past five games, Jones has been averaging almost 25 minutes per matchup. In that stretch, Jones has averaged 10.4 points and nine rebounds a contest. Jones is also shooting 33.3 percent from downtown during that time, not far off from Ellington’s 37.1 percent.

Dwyane Wade‘s prescence has also cut into Ellington’s minutes, and the imminent return of Goran Dragic, along with the eventual return of Dion Waiters, will only make getting minutes that much more difficult.

As previously mentioned, Ellington’s shooting ability is something many teams would salivate over, surely creating a trade market for him.

One potential team that could have interest in Ellington is the Los Angeles Lakers.

It was reported that the Lakers are targeting Ellington as one potential solution, after missing out on Trevor Ariza, and they certainly have the young talent and draft picks to made a deal work.

Regardless, if the Heat aren’t going to take advantage of what Ellington brings to the table, it would be best to get something in return for him. Ellington has a fairly cap-friendly contract and multiple teams looking to compete, could use his veteran presence.

The Heat’s next game is on December 20 against the Houston Rockets, a game in which the Heat will need high scoring in order to keep pace.

If Ellington isn’t able to see game action in one like against the Rockets, then he may not have a place with the Heat anymore.