Ja Morant could be a much more realistic target for the Miami Heat than originally believed, that's assuming the speculation that his trade value may be right on par with what the Atlanta Hawks got in exchange for Trae Young is accurate.
According to Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix, that's what he is hearing: that the current trade value for Morant is a veteran player on an expiring contract and a solid young player. If that's all it will take to pry Morant out of Memphis, the Heat should be seriously considering taking such a risk.
And for all those fans who are on the fence about the team making such a move, this should calm their nerves about the potnetial risk that this deal comes with, considering how little the Heat would have to give up.
If the Heat could acquire Morant by matching salary and including just one of their young players, and not one of their premier ones, it'd be difficult to justify not exploring this possibility.
It may be time for change in Miami
Considering how things have pretty quickly begun to unravel for the Heat, it's difficult to blame fans who are calling for change, or at least hoping for it, heading into the NBA Trade Deadline.
While there are a few deals that the Heat could explore ahead of the deadline, you'd have to imagine the team would only be looking to make moves that would significantly alter this team's ceiling.
If that isn't the case, the Heat would be making a trade just for the sake of making. While there's an argument that the Heat should explore that, I can't imagine the front office would have much interest in going down that path.
But taking a low-risk roll of the dice on Morant could be just intriguing enough for the Heat's front office to consider, especially if it wouldn't cost much.
The Heat could use the fresh talent injection into the roster, and Morant's high ceiling could be the gamble that this front office needs to take.
If Erik Spoelstra can consistently get the most out of his players night-in and night-out, you can only imagine what he could possibly do with a talent like Morant.
It'd certainly be considered a risk for the Heat, but it might be the right risk that could look like an excellent move if Morant can get his career back on track in Miami.
And if the latest whispers are any indication, there's a chance they could get an exciting star target for a fraction of the price.