Donovan Mitchell and 2 more stars the Heat can trade for this summer

The Miami Heat need help, particularly on offense. Even after climbing to fourth in defensive rating, the Heat are still dragged by the league’s 21st-rated offense.

This has too often been the case during the Jimmy Butler era. Contributions from role players like Duncan Robinson, Max Strus, Caleb Martin and Kendrick Nunn over the years have been helpful, but the Heat have been seeking a co-star to help carry the burden on offense since 2019. Bam Adebayo can only be asked to do so much.

It’s why the Heat have chased stars like Donovan Mitchell, Kevin Durant and Damian Lillard. All are bona fide scorers capable of creating easy buckets in any context – something Miami sorely needs.

“Our level of effort toughness disposition, all of that weren’t to our standards,” coach Erik Spoelstra said after Sunday’s disappointing loss to the Indiana Pacers. “And it has to be every single possession.”

That wouldn’t necessarily be the case if the Heat had an offensive star who could score consistently. If the Heat fail to complete the stated goal of winning a championship again, they could look to take another big swing this summer. 

With that in mind, here are three guards who could become available that the Heat could try to pair with Butler and Adebayo for next season.

3. Donovan Mitchell

Since the All-Star break, few teams have been as disappointing as the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are 10-16 in that stretch and have lost ground in the Eastern Conference standings.

What once seemed like a team that could push the top squads in the conference is playing like a group ready for Kokomo. 

The noise around Donovan Mitchell’s future in Cleveland has been plenty loud since the Cavs traded for the All-Star guard in 2022 and not many expect him to sign an extension with the franchise. That noise only grew louder after Mitchell’s non-commital response to questions about his desire to stay in Cleveland.

According to Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus, "The buzz in NBA circles suggests that barring a run to the NBA Finals, Mitchell will decline an extension and look elsewhere, and the Cavaliers are more likely than not to move him well before he can leave outright as a free agent."

Should Mitchell become available, there will be plenty of teams interested in trading for him, including the Miami Heat. Whether they can beat the best offers and land Mitchell is another question but Mitchell will have some control in directing where he lands since any suitor would want him to agree to an extension.