Training Camp is not even here yet, at least not for the Miami Heat, but their NBA Trade Deadline plans continue to be as clear as ever. It's been whispered over the last few months that the Heat could emerge as sellers at the deadline, and those rumors don't seem to be letting up.
According to Jake Fischer, there continue to be rival executives who believe the Heat will be sellers on the trade market this season. Fischer believes that will only be the case even more after the injury to Tyler Herro, who will miss at least the first month of the season.
In a vacuum, it's hard to push back on this idea. In theory, the Heat should probably embrace a seller role ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline. Whether they will actually do that remains to be seen. It's rare when the Heat have done that in the past. But this could finally be the year where the stars align for it to happen.
It makes the most sense. For a team that, even if everything falls their way this season, isn't going to factor much in the Eastern Conference, Miami should be looking to take advantage of the fact that they own their first-round pick this season and that they have tradable veterans on their roster that could bring in a solid return at the deadline.
What the Heat's trade deadline plans may look like
Here's the thing about the Heat: it's not that they have to completely tear down their roster at the trade deadline; they just have to make logical moves that will help put themselves in a better position to make a bigger move for a star player in the future.
Two trades that they should explore making over the next few months are cashing in on Andrew Wiggins and Norman Powell.
A lot of this depends on how the season unravels for the Heat, but if things do begin to go south, the team should 100 percent look to cash Wiggins and Powell into future first-round picks.
If both players perform up to their potential during the first half of the season, the Heat should be able to cobble a market together that is strong enough to get a couple of first-round picks back at the trade deadline.
If they were to pull that off, the Heat would find themselves in a great position to pounce on the next disgruntled superstar to hit the trade market.
No matter how this season ends, if the Heat can pull that off, they'd certainly change the tune around this team heading into next summer. It may not be what fans want to hear this early into the season, but the Heat have a clear path heading into the NBA Trade Deadline. The question is, will they accept their clear reality?