The Miami Heat, if nothing else, like to be in the middle of everything. Any trade, any drama, any — this team seems to pop up. Most recently, the Heat have wrenched themselves into the middle of the Ja Morant trade saga. With each passing day, it sounds more likely that Morant will be dealt, and the Heat feel more realistic as the landing spot for the controversial point guard.
A trade for Morant is anything but a low-risk move. He's never played more than 70 games in a season, whether due to injuries or suspensions. His production has declined enough for it to be concerning, and while his $40 million per year contract doesn't feel awful when he's playing like a star... No one knows when he'll actually play like a star.
On the flip side, there's a very important tenet the Heat might need to abide by in the coming weeks: What the hell else are we gonna do?
That's not me trying to be flippant, either. I'm not sure what other route the Heat could realistically take to boost them out of play-in position and into contention in a weak Eastern Conference. Sure, they can go add Jerami Grant, or whatever other solid veteran is available, and they can hope that Kel'el Ware turns into an All-Star, but this team is one high-impact player away from being a top three or four team in the East, and Morant is the only guy who fits that billing currently on the market.
Ja Morant might be the Heat only option to reach the top of the East
It also helps that reaching the top of the East is not too difficult in 2026. There are no sure things in this conference; the Pistons are unproven, the Cavs love choking in the playoffs, the Pacers are in a quick rebuild year, the Sixers will snap in half by April, and the Celtics will be counting on a player coming off a massive injury to lead them back to the NBA Finals.
None of that is particularly intimidating. Plus, a trio of Ja Morant, Tyler Herro, and Bam Adebayo is good enough to put the Heat in the conversation for the team to beat in the East. Now, that comes with the assumption that a dynamic guard like Morant would help Bam get back to the type of player Heat fans have seen him be before — and I do think that would be the case.
Morant is a volatile presence on a team. Acquiring him, even at a low value, comes with myriad risks. But without taking that risk, we know exactly how the next few years will go for this team. With the risk, the ceiling raises considerably. Do you want to sit in comfortable disappointment, or risk it all for greatness?
That ended up sounding really dramatic. But the Heat do need to get a little crazy if they want to get out of this middle ground.