The NBA trade deadline is at 3 p.m. ET Thursday and, although the Miami Heat already made one big trade in acquiring Terry Rozier last month, they might not be done. Here’s the latest intel, rumors and buzz surrounding the Heat’s players and potential targets. This blog will be updated throughout the day.
The Miami Heat officially wrapped up the NBA trade deadline without making any moves on Thursday.
Milwaukee adds to its backcourt
The Bucks are trading Cam Payne and a 2027 second-round pick to the 76ers for Patrick Beverley. The move gives Milwaukee a defensive-minded guard to pair with Damian Lillard. The 76ers get an offensive-leaning point guard to back up Tyrese Maxey.
Potential Heat target goes to Phoenix
The Brooklyn Nets are trading Royce O’Neale to Phoenix for three second-round picks. As part of the deal, the Grizzlies are also sending David Roddy to the Suns for a pick swap.
Hornets keep selling
Update, 1:04 pm: Charlotte is trading forward P.J. Washington to Dallas for a package that includes Grant Williams, Seth Curry and a 2027 first-round pick, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Buyout candidate emerges
The Nets and Raptors have agreed on a deal that sends Spencer Dinwiddie and Dennis Smith Jr. to Toronto and Dennis Schroder and Thaddeus Young to Brooklyn. Young is a candidate to negotiate a buyout and sign with another team later on.
Eastern Conference updates
The Knicks have acquired Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks from the Pistons in exchange for Quentin Grimes, Evan Fournier, Malachi Flynn, Ryan Arcidiacono, and two second-round picks, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
The 76ers and Pacers have agreed on a trade that will send Buddy Hield to Philadelphia, according to Wojnarowski. Indiana will receive forward Marcus Morris, guard Furkan Korkmaz, and three second-round picks.
Gordon Hayward going West
Miami’s division rival, the Charlotte Hornets, are sending veteran forward Gordon Hayward to the Thunder for Tre Mann, Davis Bertans, Vasilije Micic and draft compensation, according to multiple reports.
P.J. Tucker
Tucker may have hinted at a possible return to the Heat when he posted a picture of a Miami highway to his Instagram account earlier this month with the caption “Home Sweet Home.” He is reportedly interested in a reunion, but it’s difficult to see a way the Heat can trade for his $11 million contract. If Tucker is bought out by the Clippers, his return to Miami is more feasible.
Caleb Martin
Update: 1:45 pm: The Kings are showing interest in Caleb Martin.
"While the Kings are known to have interest in a number of players who remain available, from Brooklyn’s Dorian Finney-Smith and Royce O’Neale, to the [Washington] Wizards’ Delon Wright (a former King) and Miami’s Caleb Martin, those aren’t the kinds of players to likely inspire them to give up too much of the draft stock they would need for a bigger move down the line. But those kinds of players, team sources tell The Athletic, are still in play."Sam Amick, The Athletic
Update, 10:30 AM: According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, "rival executives are monitoring the potential trade availability of Caleb Martin, given Miami’s salary books looking ahead."
Having recently reinserted Martin into the starting lineup, it doesn’t appear as if the Heat are ready to move off of him. Martin has a $7.1 million player option for next season and he’s expected to test free agency in hopes of landing a lucrative, long-term deal. The Heat are close enough to the second luxury tax apron that re-signing Martin and staying out of the punitive second luxury tax will be difficult without additional salary cap relief. But the Heat are all-in on this season and are willing to take the risk of letting Martin walk away for nothing. We covered more of this decision and the numbers behind it here.
Still, the Heat are doing their homework. According to Action Network’s Matt Moore, the Heat will “explore the market” for Martin.
“They’ll explore the market for him,” Moore told the Locked On Heat podcast. “It’s important to establish the distinction between shopping and exploring the market. And the distinction there is that, if you’re shopping a guy, you’re actively like, ‘I would like for this player to not be on my roster by the end of the year.’ … Exploring the market is like, ‘Let’s take a look and see what the options are here because the money is gonna be significant.’”
According to the Miami Herald, “has received no indication that he could be moved.”
Kelly Olynyk
Update, 10:37 a.m.: The Jazz are trading Olynyk and guard Ochai Agbaji to the Toronto Raptors for Kira Lewis, Otto Porter Jr. and a 2024 first-round pick, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
The former Heat and current Jazz forward is a candidate to get traded before the deadline. Here’s the latest from Yahoo’s Jake Fischer. “Olynyk is also on an expiring $12.1 million contract and could quite feasibly be rerouted to another team if Toronto determines he’s not going to be part of the Raptors’ future plans. Philadelphia, Miami, and Golden State also have shown interest in Olynyk, according to league sources.”
Tyler Herro
The Heat have told Herro and his agent that he will not be traded for anyone who isn’t considered a top-75 player of all time. That may be hyperbole, but it’s also true that the Heat haven’t been willing to move Herro unless they are getting an All-NBA caliber player back. So the idea that the Heat would move Herro for high-end role players at different positions would be a dramatic shift from the front office’s previous thinking.
Jonas Valanciunas
According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Pelicans “are unsure if they’ll be able to retain” center Jonas Valanciunas, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Here’s what our Brennan Sims recently wrote about Valanciunas’ potential fit in Miami:
"Jonas Valančiūnas offers something Miami hasn't seen in the 2020s. He has remarkable size. He's a skilled 6-foot-11 bully willing to take 3s. He's a brute force that could clog up the paint for opposing offenses and allow Bam to roam on defense. His bone-crushing screens would surely free up Terry Rozier and Jimmy Butler. He could space the floor, but teams would probably dare him to shoot in the playoffs."
Victor Oladipo
The former Heat guard will be waived if he’s not traded by the deadline today, according to Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian. While the Heat have a lot of respect for Oladipo, it’s unlikely that they would re-sign him given his injury history.
Dru Smith
Smith hasn’t played since Nov. 22, when he suffered a right knee sprain in Cleveland. Because of the timing of the injury, the Heat cannot waive Smith, but they are allowed to trade him. Trading Smith would open up a roster spot for someone who can contribute now.
The Heat still have up to $7 million in cash that they can send to a team in exchange for the favor of taking on Smith’s deal. Doing so would save the Heat about $3.1 million when factoring in the luxury tax, open up a roster spot and trigger the ability to sign a player who is bought out of his current contract.
Spurs veterans
Last night’s opponent, the San Antonio Spurs, could move some veterans ahead of the trade deadline. According to Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News, Doug McDermott, Cedi Osman and Devonte’ Graham appear to be San Antonio’s most likely trade candidates.
If they aren’t traded, the Heat could monitor their status as buyout candidates. However, it’s unclear if any would accept a buyout (McDermott told McDonald, “I love being here.”