Dec. 15 is a significant date on the NBA calendar, as most free agents who signed in the offseason become eligible to be traded.
That includes three players on the Miami Heat, and at least one of them could make a lot of sense for a needy trade partner between Dec. 15 and the February trade deadline.
According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, 85 players who signed new contracts in the offseason will become eligible to be traded Sunday. You can check out his league-wide explainer here. For the purposes of this article, we’ll focus on the Heat.
The three Heat players who become trade eligible on Dec. 15 are Thomas Bryant, Alec Burks and Kevin Love.
Because Haywood Highsmith re-signed using Bird rights, he won’t be eligible until Jan. 15. Highsmith has emerged as a starter for the Heat but would surely have plenty of trade value as a plug-and-play defender who can hit open 3s for almost any contending team. Bam Adebayo is eligible on Jan. 6 after signing an extension in the summer, although it’s improbable that Miami would trade him at this point.
Among the Heat players who will be eligible this weekend, Bryant might have the most trade value. He’s 27, and though he’s been in and out of the rotation this season, could be useful to a rival seeking depth at the center position.
Bryant has averaged 4.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 11.5 minutes in 10 appearances this season.
The Heat are comfortable with Love as Adebayo’s primary backup, but could look to get rookie Kel’el Ware more involved later this season, especially as he impresses during his stint in the G League. That would make Bryant somewhat expendable.
The other name here is Burks. Though he’s a respected figure in the locker room, he’s been out of the rotation for most of the season after signing with the Heat on a minimum contract over the summer. Burks, 33, has seen younger players like Dru Smith and Pelle Larsson play ahead of him this season.
In 12 games this season, Burks is averaging 5.3 points on 45.7% shooting, along with 1.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists. He showed his value when he scored 15 points in spot minutes in a win over the Dallas Mavericks last month.
The Heat like the idea of having Burks as an emergency option and have been impressed with his professionalism despite barely playing, but they might have to consider a deal that brings back enough value.