3 Trades the Heat wish they would have made before the deadline

Nick Richards, Charlotte Hornets

This is a player who could have been packaged together in the deal that landed Rozier.

Rozier was traded to the Heat for Kyle Lowry and a first-round draft pick, but if the Heat used another asset they could’ve gotten their hands on another Hornets player in the deal. PJ Washington and Gordon Hayward were linked to Miami in the past, but a big man like Nick Richards would have been huge. Something the Heat have lacked against the best teams -- such as Nikola Jokic's Denver Nuggets and Kristaps Porzingis' Boston Celtics -- is size.

Richards would have immediately made an impact in that category. The four-year center is sporting career-high averages of 10 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks on 69.1% shooting. He’s in his age 26 season and listed at 7-foot-0.

Although Richards doesn’t have the long-range shooting ability to complement Bam Adebayo in the starting frontcourt, he could have been a huge addition to back him up off the bench.

Miami is thin in big man depth, with undersized Kevin Love manning the regular backup big minutes. Both Orlando Robinson and Thomas Bryant have had good moments over the season but neither has earned the trust of coach Erik Spoelstra. Having a guy like Richards could have allowed Love to play his natural power forward position off the bench or alongside Adebayo.