Miami Heat: 10 moves for high-caliber players by the NBA trade deadline

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CHARLOTTE, NC – FEBRUARY 2: Kemba Walker #15 of the Charlotte Hornets looks on during the game against the Chicago Bulls on February 2, 2019 at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Brock Williams-Smith/NBAE via Getty Images) /

In this trade idea, the Miami Heat send Josh Richardson, Dion Waiters, Wayne Ellington, and Rodney McGruder, in return for, Kemba Walker and Nicholas Batum.

The Hornets are currently shopping in Memphis for Marc Gasol, hoping to help build next to Walker, and if they can’t make that deal happen, Michael Jordan may need to move Walker, as he is a free agent this offseason. And while that would be a scare for Miami, losing Walker in free agency, many players end up staying in Miami because, well, it’s Miami.

The Hornets could potentially do this deal without a draft pick involved, as that would be key for Miami, firstly they move Richardson and Waiters who the Heat love, and secondly they take on the disastrous contract in Batum.

And while Batum is actually playable with that contract, unlike players like Chandler Parsons, that is definitely a hit for Miami but could fit in as the starting wing. Walker immediately makes the Heat better and a contender for a top seed in the East, even if you aren’t high on the All-Star, he is one of the best guards in the league and shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Walker, Dragic, Winslow, Johnson, and Whiteside with Batum and others off the bench would be a playoff lineup. I believe this would be a … good … deal for the Heat, but it’s definitely not the best one in this column.

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