Best trade the Miami Heat made with the Sacramento Kings: Kevin Willis & Walter McCarty
This may seem a bit weird considering that on the last slide it was stated that the Miami Heat lost this trade. That may technically be true, but this trade becomes a complete win for the Heat when you take a closer look.
Both Steve Smith and Grant Long went on to have very successful careers with the Atlanta Hawks. And while Kevin Willis did play well with the Miami Heat, he is not the reason they won this trade.
The key to this deal was not Willis, but actually the 1996 first-round pick the Heat got. While it did eventually turn into Walter McCarty, the Heat never made that pick.
Instead, they traded it to the New York Knicks less than one year later. What did they get in return? Coach Pat Riley – a Miami Heat legend.
So, while it may be cheating a bit to say that the Heat won this trade when, in fact, the Hawks got a great return, that’s what hindsight is all about. It’s about looking into the past and seeing how every little detail panned out.
The Hawks got what they wanted, but the Heat flipped the pick they received into something very valuable. This is easily the best deal the Miami Heat did with the Hawks.