The Miami Heat should pay close attention to the Los Angeles Lakers' offseason search for roster upgrades.
It just might be the key to solving Miami's years-long problems on the offensive end.
The Heat, who haven't cracked the top 20 in offensive efficiency since 2021-22, per NBA.com, have suffered from backcourt shortages of scoring, playmaking, creation and shooting. Not even Tyler Herro's All-Star ascension could get them any higher than 21st in offensive rating this past season.
That's because Herro can't do it all on his own. He and three-time All-Star Bam Adebayo—Miami's two building blocks for the post-Jimmy Butler era—might already be doing all the heavy lifting they can handle. The Heat need an external boost to power-up this attack, and the Purple and Gold might have just what they need.
This trade for Lakers' guard Austin Reaves could be the missing piece for Miami's offense.
Miami Heat receive: Austin Reaves, Gabe Vincent and Maxi Kleber
Los Angeles Lakers receive: Andrew Wiggins, Kel'el Ware and Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Despite operating as a third option in L.A.—first behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis, then third fiddle to James and Luka Dončić—Reaves came close to earning his first All-Star invitation this past season. Even without the accolades, Reaves closed the campaign as one of only 12 players to average at least 20 points, five assists and 2.5 three-pointers, per StatHead Basketball. Maybe more impressively, he had the fifth-most win shares among that exclusive group (7.6).
Some might be wondering why the Lakers would want to get rid of a player who's been so productive. And just to be clear, they seemingly aren't. According to Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times, L.A. would only let go of Reaves if it brought back "a top-tier big." Ware may have turned a lot of heads as a rookie, but it would still be a stretch to throw that label on him.
The Lakers could still be interested in what the Heat have to offer, though. That's because a serviceable center, which L.A. clearly needed to extend its playoff run, isn't the only item on the team's offseason shopping list.
The Heat could supply the Lakers with both a plug-and-play center in Ware and a lockdown wing defender in Wiggins. Plus, they could sweeten the pot with Jaquez, an All-Rookie first-teamer in 2023-24. Reaves might still be the best player in the trade, but it'd be hard to argue he'd be a better complement to James and Dončić than the three players hypothetically headed to Hollywood.
On the flip side, the Heat have a more pressing need for what Reaves can bring. They need another shot-creator to lighten the load on Herro. They could use more shooting to give Adebayo more breathing room on the interior. And, frankly, they could simply stand to generally up their scoring output. Miami managed a (relatively) meager 110.6 points per game this season. That ranked 24th overall and was one of only two bottom-10 averages held by a playoff participant (along with the Orlando Magic).
As for the rest of the incoming package, Vincent and Kleber would primarily serve as necessary salary-fillers. From an optimistic angle, though, Vincent has succeeded in this system before, and Kleber has previously made an impact as a small-ball big who pairs multi-positional flexibility on defense with a decent (sometimes better) shot from distance.
Would this trade launch the Heat into title contention? Probably not. But could it provide badly needed two-way balance to a team that has had to work around some major offensive malfunctions for far too long. And in a suddenly wide-open Eastern Conference, maybe that's the difference between fighting for a playoff spot and snagging a top-four seed next season.