If the Miami Heat are going to make something of the 2025-26 NBA season—and have that something be more than a cursory invite to the Play-In Tournament—they need to get active on the trade front. They can't dream about Giannis Antetokounmpo forever, can they?
This roster needs an energy injection—not to mention more high-end talent—and while this organization lacks the assets to win a major bidding war, it has enough trade chips to get a notable deal done. Especially if Pat Riley maximizes Miami's dollar with one of his patented moves for a distressed star.
This trade market seemingly has several available, so let's dig into the Heat options.
Option 1: Turning Tyler Herro into Ja Morant
Dubbed a "team to watch" in the Ja Morant sweepstakes by Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor, the Heat could be drawn to both the point guard's electric past and murky present. If they trust their coaching staff and famed #culture to bring out Morant's best, there's real bargain potential for someone who's been exactly the kind of needle-mover they need.
Admittedly, he's not a perfect fit. Then again, maybe Tyler Herro isn't, either. Morant's lack of spacing would be a concern, and Miami's move away from pick-and-roll attacks is the exact kind of approach that bothered him in Memphis last season.
Still, the star power is real, and it frankly reaches a higher tier than Herro has approached. Just a few seasons back, when Morant was averaging 26.7 points and 7.5 assists over a three-year stretch, he looked like a possible future face of the league. If the Heat hold any kind of hope they can turn him into something resembling that, then this feels like a realistic price to pay.
Option 2: Bringing the Beard to South Beach
Cue up as many "How would James Harden handle Miami's nightlife" jokes/concerns as you want, but if the Heat want someone who can consistently create something out of nothing, few remotely realistically available (and affordable) players better check that box.
While this isn't the loudest his stat sheet has ever been, the 2025-26 season feels like a return to form for the 11-time All-Star. His 25.6 points and 3.2 three-pointers are both his most since the 2019-20 season, and his 7.9 assists rank sixth-best in the league.
Adding him—and reuniting him with Norman Powell—would give Miami an absurd amount of creation and shot-making in the backcourt. Maybe enough of it to broker a separate swap that sends out Herro for a need-filler elsewhere.
Option 3: Going the near-star route.
The Heat are in that sticky spot of possessing enough win-now talent to justify a win-now attempt but also lacking the high-end potential needed to warrant an all-in trade. In other words, they could poke around the near-star margins for someone who wouldn't cost them a key contributor, a piece of their young core, or a highly valuable draft asset.
Taking that tightrope walk might lead them right to Grant, who has seldom (if ever) been confused for a star, but still puts up near-star numbers and would give this group more length, defensive versatility, and scoring power on the wings. And while Portland probably isn't itching to cut him loose, doing so would ease some of its financial burden and free up more time at the forward spots for the Blazers' younger players.
For nothing more than cap relief and a first-round swap that maybe never comes into play, the Heat would be getting an experienced wing who can handle most defensive assignments along the frontcourt and is averaging 20-plus points for the third time in four seasons. That feels like pretty solid basketball business, even if this wouldn't quite crest the blockbuster threshold.