The NBA trade market appears sufficiently stocked with the exact kind of stars the Miami Heat so desperately need. If only they were in possession of the kind of asset collection needed to broker a fortune-changing blockbuster.
They don't have the goods to get a megadeal done right now, but that could change as soon as this offseason. By that point, they might have better draft picks to deal, more financial flexibility to make the money work in the otherwise tricky apron era, and perhaps not show the same level of attachment to their more coveted prospects.
Time may be all that's needed to satisfy Miami's years-long search for a star.
While the Heat keep getting connected to their dream Giannis Antetokounmpo deal, they just aren't positioned to win a high-priced sweepstakes.
They can't trade more than two first-round picks, which might be half as many (if that) as needed to anchor an offer for Antetokounmpo. While several prospects loom as potential trade sweeteners, none quite qualifies as a jackpot prize.
Kel'el Ware has yet to solve the puzzle of consistent domination. Nikola Jovic has gone from having a dream summer to a nightmare season. First-round rookie Kasparas Jakucionis can't find any floor time. Heck, even in an otherwise resurgent season, Jaime Jaquez Jr. has never looked worse as an outside shooter (8-of-36, 22.2 percent).
Where's the player in that group who could help Milwaukee fans stomach the ideas of an Antetokounmpo trade? How do you package players from that group with Miami's two tradeable firsts and not have it read like you're offering five nickels in exchange for a dollar?
And forget about using Tyler Herro to compensate for the lack of high-end assets. It's hard not to draw parallels between his return and Miami's recent woes. If the Heat were willing to discuss him in a deal, they would not exactly be coming from a place of great negotiating strength.
In other words, just because stars are popping up on the trade market, that doesn't mean stars are aligning for Miami to soon snag one of them.
That could be a different story as soon as this summer, though. The Heat will have additional draft capital at their disposal. They'll have several sizable salaries coming off the books. They should have resolution on the puzzling situation with Terry Rozier by then, too. And maybe enough time will have passed for Miami's young players to ramp up their trade values.
A big trade could be brewing, it might just be a matter of multiple months instead of days or weeks.