If the Miami Heat are holding out hope for acquiring a superstar at the NBA Trade Deadline, it's becoming abundantly clear that Lauri Markkanen is not going to be their savior. That pipe dream is over before it could even become a reality after a recent report that suggests the Utah Jazz are unlikely to trade Markkanen ahead of the deadline.
Per NBA insider Marc Stein, the Jazz are more likely to add to their Markkanen-led core than to trade their All-Star big man ahead of this year's trade deadline.
Assuming this report is accurate, this is a shame considering Markkanen would've been a great fit on this Heat team.
That means that if Miami is going to be an aggressive buyer at the trade deadline, they're going to have to find another potential target that isn't Markkanen.
How will the Heat approach the deadline?
A little more than a quarter into the season, the Heat have an interesting decision ahead of them. They're outperforming expectations through this point in the season, and must explore whether they will let this season play out with this roster, or if they're going to try and push more chips to the center of the table and go for it.
Doing so would require the Heat to make a bold move at the NBA Trade Deadline.
For as impressive as the Heat have been so far this season, this is not a roster that many would think could make a deep playoff run. Especially for the Heat, nothing is ever off the table. However, if they want to make a genuine run at a title this year, they'd almost certainly have to make a star addition at the deadline.
Markkanen, in theory, wouldn't have been an excellent (and realistic) target. At least for now, though, it doesn't appear as if the Jazz has any interest in trading their all-star wing.
Could that change over the next few weeks? Absolutely. However, I wouldn't expect the Heat to bet on that pipe dream.
That should lead the Heat's front office to outline other potential possibilities heading into the trade deadline. Unless, of course, they truly want to see this roster play out the remainder of the season, which wouldn't be that big of a surprise if they went down this route.
But, you'd have to imagine that a trade that would help them consolidate some of their talent, while also adding a star player, could be valuable for the Heat.
Ultimately, that's on the front office. And after this most recent report, they may have one less star target leading up to the trade deadline.