If the Dallas Mavericks move to trade Anthony Davis, which appears to be getting more and more likely by the day, the Miami Heat could have a potential superstar target that may be worth going all-in for. And, in theory, the idea of trading for AD should be viewed as a very appealing option for the Heat.
Whether or not the Mavs will pivot to shopping AD is still in question, but with the way the team is trending, it does seem like one of the most logical paths forward for the franchise.
And a team like the Heat should be ready to jump at the opportunity to land an All-NBA level player. An AD-Bam Adebayo frontcourt duo could be exactly the type of monster upgrade the Heat has been waiting for.
While the Heat may not have been willing to go all-in for a player like Kevin Durant, you'd have to believe that the opposite would be the case for AD. After all, he does check a lot of the boxes that the team is looking for, and he's a few more years younger than KD at this point.
If the Heat is looking to make a big move soon, AD hitting the block is exactly what they may be waiting for.
Heat fans have to trust Pat Riley
On the other hand, such a move wouldn't come without its risks. For as great a player as AD has been over his career, there's always been one concern with him: his health. Over the course of his career, AD has battled injury issues more often than not.
In fact, he's already missed seven games so far this season and has only played at least 60 regular-season games twice in the last eight seasons. There are real concerns about whether AD is durable enough to build a championship team around.
At this stage of his career, it's not like AD is going to all of a sudden be healthy for 82 regular-season games. It doesn't work that way. He kind of is what he is.
He's a great player, but he also has difficulty remaining healthy over the course of the season. It's the risk that the Heat, or any team that is interested in trading for him, must live with.
I'm sure these are already conversations the Heat has had in the past because AD is one of those players that every franchise dreams of acquiring.
Interestingly enough, that dream could quickly become a reality as the Mavs begin to examine what exactly is next for the franchise after firing general manager Nico Harrison. Their extremely slow start to the year hasn't helped matters any either.
There's a real chance that AD could hit the trade block by midseason, and if that's the case, it would be surprising if the Heat didn't at least explore what a deal would look like, if not go down a full-blown pursuit of the superstar big man.