In retrospect, there's a strong argument to be made that the Miami Heat probably shouldn't have sold out to make the NBA Playoffs. Sure, they do free themselves from a draft IOU (to the Oklahoma City Thunder), but the Heat continue to find themselves in no man's land as they prepare for the offseason. However, there's one potentially controversial draft day trade that the Heat could make to right all their wrongs from the last month of the NBA season.
Without much to offer in the way of a trade for a star player, especially considering the amount of assets teams have that the Heat will be bidding against, there's another path toward resetting the horizons for a once-proud organization. It may be against what the franchise is used to, but what if Miami decided to make a big offer in an attempt to jump into the top 4 of the 2025 NBA Draft?
It's a move that could help reset this team's timeline and would significantly aid this team's financial books. Perhaps most of all, this move would buy them some much-needed grace from a frustrated fan base. The target in this potential trade offer to the Charlotte Hornets, who own the No. 4 pick in the NBA Draft, would be V.J. Edgecombe.
Edgecombe is a dynamic two-way player with the star potential the Heat could be looking for in the NBA Draft. After making a late surge to the playoffs, the Heat lost their shot at a lottery pick. Making this deal would help right a wrong decision on draft night.
Why the Hornets are the perfect trade partner for the Heat
It's unlikely that the Heat would be able to jump into the top 2, and the Philadelphia 76ers probably aren't a team willing to give up the third pick either. The Hornets are an interesting possibility, especially considering they could be ready to pivot away from the slow rebuild, and they just may be willing to expedite that process with a splash trade for a win-now star.
Entering year seven of their rebuild, it's about time for the Hornets to see some tangible results; you know the fan base is clamoring for it. With a relatively talented core, led by LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, perhaps an established All-Star like Tyler Herro would appeal to them.
In this proposed draft day deal, the Hornets would get Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., the 20th pick in this year's NBA Draft, and then a protected 2029 first-round pick from Miami. In exchange, Charlotte would send Jusuf Nurkic, Josh Okogie, and the fourth overall pick to the Heat.
How realistic is this trade possibility?
Objectively speaking, I find it hard to believe that the Hornets would accept this offer. I do think, however, they'd certainly have the conversation. Even though V.J. Edgecombe is one of the most touted prospects in this year's draft class, he's far from the "sure thing" that Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper probably are.
The fact that the Hornets are even open to the possibility of going off-chalk with this selection could open the door for a slight opportunity of a trade. That's where Miami could step in, especially with a valuable trade chip like Herro. If the Hornets are looking to expedite their rebuild, Herro's the type of piece that would fit.
If the Heat could pull off a move, they'd reset their timeline around an Edgecombe-Bam Adebayo future. It may not be a popular move, and it would come with some growing pains, but this is the type of trade that would make a ton of sense for where the Heat finds itself among the East's current hierarchy.
Miami is not one piece away from title contention. Heading into the offseason, they should be willing to take a step back in hopes of taking a couple forward in a year or two. Maybe a draft day deal with Charlotte could help them accomplish that.