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

Miami Heat president Pat Riley at a December 2016 news conference at AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami. (Pedro Portal/El Nuevo Herald/TNS via Getty Images)
Miami Heat president Pat Riley at a December 2016 news conference at AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami. (Pedro Portal/El Nuevo Herald/TNS via Getty Images)
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WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 30: Otto Porter Jr. #22 of the Washington Wizards reacts to a foul against the Indiana Pacers during the first half at Capital One Arena on January 30, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 30: Otto Porter Jr. #22 of the Washington Wizards reacts to a foul against the Indiana Pacers during the first half at Capital One Arena on January 30, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

In this trade idea, the Miami Heat would send Hassan Whiteside, Dion Waiters, Wayne Ellington, and Rodney McGruder to the Washington Wizards, in return for, Otto Porter Jr., Ian Mahinmi, and Markieff Morris.

With the recent Woj bomb illustrating the sadness that is the John Wall 12-month injury in Washington, it’s quite possible that the Wizards decide to grab several assets to try and blow up their roster since they will essentially be out of the playoffs for the next two years.

Not to mention, the Wizards drop tons of long-term cap in Porter and Mahinmi, hopefully making way for other assets in the future if they can somehow move Wall one day.

As for the Heat, moving Whiteside allows Miami to start anew with Bam Adebayo as the starting center, with Mahinmi or Kelly Olynyk as the backup big. Grabbing Markieff Morris is just a plus going into the playoffs, to switch between the 3 and 4, mostly when needed off the bench. And finally, Porter allows the Heat to have a new starting 4 next to Bam, which would solidify the hopes and dreams of a crafty, small ball lineup.

With Winslow, Dragic, Richardson, Porter, and Adebayo, you could potentially have a fun, high pace playoff team for the next few years.

Our next deal is a similar player to Porter, but more experienced and nuanced in several ways.