It's the worst-kept secret in the world that the Miami Heat are going to pursue Giannis Antetokounmpo (again) this offseason. However, if the Heat miss out on him again, Bleacher Report offers an intriguing trade proposal for another star player at a low cost.
Ja Morant.
In this deal, the Heat would only have to give up Andrew Wiggins and Davion Mitchell to take a flier on Morant (and Cam Spencer) to make the money work.
The Heat could revisit previous interest in Ja Morant
The Heat didn't seriously pursue Morant at the NBA Trade Deadline, despite some mutual interest on both sides. One of the bigger parts of that is because they wanted to wait until there was some resolution on the Giannis front.
If the Heat gets that this summer, and it doesn't end with them acquiring the superstar forward, you can't help but wonder if the Heat could revisit some of that previous interest in Morant.
If so, this is one trade proposal that could make a ton of sense for the Heat.
Ja Morant could be a worthy gamble for the Heat
Giannis should 100 percent be the No. 1 priority for the Heat this offseason. But if it quickly becomes evident that it's simply not a realistic option for Miami, Morant wouldn't be a terrible plan B.
Even though Morant has had his struggles over the last couple of seasons, he continues to show signs of being that former All-NBA player. And if there's any team that could get the most out of the former All-Star, it's certainly the Heat.
If Miami truly believes in their developmental system, they should be willing to bet on that as well,
Plus, especially from an offensive schematic point of view, there are many reasons why Morant could be considered an ideal fit next to Bam Adebayo. If the Heat are looking for ways to simplify things for Bam, especially on the offensive end, Morant's playmaking ability would be a great addition to the offense.
Add in that he would also be a great help for the continued development of Kel'el Ware, and it's clear that this is a gamble that would make more and more sense for Miami.
There are certainly some concerns about Morant's big contract, but there's always some risk when it comes to the big-game whale hunting that Pat Riley has pretty much trademarked at this point.
If the Heat misses out on Giannis, Morant is certainly a player that could very well be on their radar. And, at this cost, they might be foolish not to seriously consider such a swap.