The Miami Heat’s trade for Terry Rozier might not be the team’s last before the Feb. 8 trade deadline.
By trading for Rozier, the Heat added $24.9 million to their payroll for next season. This puts them only a few million dollars from the second apron, meaning another trade is on the way.
That trade could happen now or over the summer, but there could be an argument to making a deal in the next few weeks.
If Caleb Martin opts out of his $7.1 million salary for next season (of which there is a good chance), the Heat won’t be able to resign him and stay below the onerous second luxury tax line. Basically, this means Martin is likely to be playing somewhere else next season.
Should the Heat, then, be exploring trades for Martin as opposed to letting him walk away for nothing?
If the Heat come to this conclusion, here are three trades they could look at to help balance the roster.
Davion Mitchell
The ninth pick in the 2021 draft, Mitchell has been on the outside of the Sacramento Kings’ rotation most of this season, having lost the job to two-way guard Keon Ellis.
Though his stint in Sacramento hasn’t gone as planned, Mitchell is a dogged defender cut from the same cloth as Marcus Smart and Lu Dort. Adding him to Miami’s guard room would give the Heat a go-to, point-of-attack defender who can fight through screens and pick up top guards in the East like Damian Lillard, Tyrese Maxey and Tyrese Haliburton.
Mitchell is under contract at $5 million this year and $6.4 million next year. The Heat could save money by making the swap now, while keeping a player under a cost-controlled contract for next season.