The Miami Heat still need to fill out their roster around Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo. They need more ball-handlers and three-point shooting, and a quick call to the Denver Nuggets could help them address both issues. A trade for Julian Strawther could work for both teams for different reasons.
Strawther’s shooting would be very useful for the Heat, and he’s young, too. So, they could start rebuilding some of the youth that they lost in the Antetokounmpo trade. Meanwhile, the Nuggets are just over the second apron after matching the Spencer Jones offer sheet. Trading Strawther into the Heat’s TPE would take them back below the second apron.
Miami would get a nice young asset to play alongside Antetokounmpo and Adebayo, and the Nuggets would duck back below the second apron. Win-win.
Heat should trade for Julian Strawther
Strawter is 24 years old and just wrapped up his third season with the Nuggets. He played well last year, but his minutes went down, despite his three-point percentage ticking upward.
He shot 38.7% from deep range on 2.6 attempts per contest, and he can even flash some self-creation at times. In the Heat’s system, playing next to Antetokounmpo and Adebayo, he could utilize that skill and perhaps even improve upon it with additional minutes
This year, Strawther will be entering the final year of his contract, and the Nuggets have yet to extend him. With their current financial situation, they may not want to extend him.
Plus, the Nuggets still have the Watson situation to deal with. And honestly, trading Strawther could be a perfect way for Denver to get itself out of that jam.
When the Nuggets picked up Jones’ offer sheet, they went over the second apron. That means they cannot send out players (Watson) in sign-and-trades. But trading Strawther to the Heat, who have a $5.6 million TPE from the Haywood Highsmith trade (that expires on August 15), would dip them back below the second apron.
Then, they would be able to complete a Watson sign-and-trade rather than seeing him accept the qualifying offer, at which point he would enter unrestricted free agency next summer.
The Heat could land a solid young player to help fill out their rotation, and the Nuggets would get themselves out of a financial pickle.
Miami could send out a couple of seconds or whatever draft capital the Nuggets would want, and the deal would make sense for both sides.
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