Miami Heat trade targets: 3 realistic, 2 pipe dream options to consider

5. Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz

When thinking about the ideal fit next to Bam Adebayo, the Heat need someone with positional size who can make 3s, switch defensively and doesn’t need the ball to be effective.

Or, in other words, Lauri Markkanen.

At 7 feet, Markkanen is a knock-down 3-point shooter (39.3% over the last two years) who can rebound and be a long-term fit with Adebayo. Both players were selected in the lottery of the 2017 draft and their primes have aligned. Both made the All-Star game last season and are likely to make it again this season.

But Markkanen is awesome and the Jazz are climbing the West standings after an uneven start. It’s unlikely that Utah would be willing to trade Markkanen now, but that shouldn’t stop the Heat from asking.

Is Markkanen the kind of player worth giving up the Damian Lillard (or Donovan Mitchell) package for? That would be up to the Heat to decide if the Jazz were to ever field offers. Crazier things have happened, but it doesn’t appear that Markkanen will be on the move any time soon.