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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PORTLAND, OR – JANUARY 26: CJ McCollum #3 of the Portland Trail Blazers speaks with the media after the game against the Atlanta Hawks on January 26, 2019 at the Moda Center Arena in Portland, Oregon. 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 Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OR – JANUARY 26: CJ McCollum #3 of the Portland Trail Blazers speaks with the media after the game against the Atlanta Hawks on January 26, 2019 at the Moda Center Arena in Portland, Oregon. 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 Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images) /

In this trade idea, the Miami Heat would send Josh Richardson and Dion Waiters to the Portland Trail Blazers, in return for, All-Star C.J. McCollum.

The Blazers are coming off an intriguing move for Rodney Hood yesterday, which essentially had them sending a few players and picks for Hood’s talents, proving that the Blazers are ready to make any move possible to make this team better, and it may be a good time to jump out of the Lillard/McCollum duo.

The Blazers would get a new starting backcourt and small forward with this deal, making them play Lillard, Waiters, and Richardson as their back-three guys, which oddly seems better than the previous duo in Portland.

As for Miami, they get the solidarity of a consistent guard in McCollum for the next few years, who can essentially do anything you need on the offensive end. Defensively is where Miami would miss Richardson, especially with how high his potential is. Ultimately, I enjoy the idea of this deal on paper, but I’m not sure how much this does to move the bar for the Heat.