Miami Heat: 3 teams to keep an eye on as trade season heats up

Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra against the Toronto Raptors during the second half at Amalie Arena.(Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)
Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra against the Toronto Raptors during the second half at Amalie Arena.(Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)
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Miami Heat
Dallas Mavericks guard Josh Richardson (0) and forward Dorian Finney-Smith (10) hold back guard Luka Doncic (77) after Doncic receives a technical foul at the end of the second quarter against the Miami Heat(Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports)

Teams to watch as Miami Heat trade season heats up: Dallas Mavericks

The Miami Heat are a team with very specific methods and ways of doing things. That, then, means that if you have ever been a fit for the Miami Heat, then you are likely always going to be a fit.

What that means is that though players may come and go, that doesn’t mean that a guy can’t come back. If you don’t believe it, think back to just how many times Michael Beasley has played for Miami in a relatively short amount of time.

On the other end, just because you played in Miami, it doesn’t always mean you can come back either. In an example there, see Hassan Whiteside.

He’s not only of an example of that, but also a walking personification of this saying, oh how the mighty have fallen. That’s neither here nor there though, what is here and there though is this.

The reason that the previous spew was important is because there are currently two former Miami Heat guys on the same roster that could be of service to the Miami Heat right now. James Johnson and Josh Richardson are currently both members of the Dallas Mavericks.

With them struggling to stop anyone, they may look to move on from two guys that they brought in to be defensive stoppers for them. Heck, if they aren’t giving your team an identity surrounding the very thing you brought them in to do, then why keep them?

The beautiful thing here, potentially, for the Miami Heat is this. They aren’t the reason why the Mavericks can’t stop anyone, it has more to do with the fact that the three guys they depend on the most in Luka Doncic, Kristaps Porzingis, and Tim Hardaway Jr. are all defensively challenged, to say the least.

In any situation, either of those two former Miami Heat guys would be welcomed additions to this current roster and could help. The Miami Heat need big man depth, help along the wing, and help attacking the paint off the bounce.

James Johnson could check all three of those boxes. They also need help with their guard depth and ball handling responsibilities.

Along with that attacking and wing help, Josh Richardson could also help in those areas. It’s a pretty simple scenario if it ever becomes a real possibility.

That’s why the Mavericks should be a team to watch. They house familiar pieces, who still just so happen to be what the Heat are looking for.

The Miami Heat aren’t out of it, by a long shot and look to potentially go on a streak here over their next few games. Adding a guy or so would really help and the teams mentioned above are the ones to watch when thinking about them doing so.