As the buzz picks up with less than a month until the NBA trade deadline, the All U Can Heat staff got together to identify the players they think the Miami Heat should target between now and Feb. 8. From former All-Star guards to savvy vets who can help right away, here are a few players who could help the Heat make another extended postseason run.
Terry Rozier
Wes Goldberg: The Heat desperately need someone who gets to the basket. They rank 29th in restricted area field goal attempts, which has submarined their overall offensive rating. Terry Rozier won't help fix all of Miami's issues on offense, but he would help.
Rozier takes an average of 4.4 shots in the restricted area per game, more than any other Heat guard. (Tyler Herro is at 2.3 and Kyle Lowry takes one a game.) Rozier's driving game could put pressure on the rim and create openings for Miami's outside shooters like Herro, Duncan Robinson and Caleb Martin. At 24 points per game, he's averaging nearly three times as many points as Lowry (8.5) this season.
If the Hornets want to move off the next two years of Rozier’s contract in advance of a needed retooling around LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller this summer, swapping Rozier for Lowry’s expiring would clear more than $50 million off their books over the next two seasons.