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Trading for this 2-way wing is the perfect all-in move for the Miami Heat

Can the Miami Heat use a roster redundancy to address a major area of need?

By Will Salinas

Jan 23, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Mikal Bridges (1) and New York Knicks
Jan 23, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Mikal Bridges (1) and New York Knicks / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
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Defensive upside

Jan 31, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Mikal Bridges (1) defends Phoenix Suns
Jan 31, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Mikal Bridges (1) defends Phoenix Suns / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Most importantly, Bridges is a defensive disruptor. He was named to the NBA All-Defensive first team as a member of the Phoenix Suns in 2022

Pairing a player like Bridges with Rozier and Miami's other core players is a natural fit. The defensive upside is high and the Heat would still have sparkplugs like Duncan Robinson and Jaime Jaquez Jr. to help juice the offense.

Trading for Bridges won't solve all of Miami's problems, but the Heat lead with defense, and the defense just isn't where it needs to be. By swapping a defensive liability for a defensive stalwart, the Heat would fix that issue.

This would be a move that not only helps the Heat now, but also in the long run. Bridges is 27 and in on the same timeline as Bam Adebayo. It's uncertain what the Heat would do moving forward, but the building blocks would be there.

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