NBA trade deadline exit survey: Did the Heat do enough?

The NBA trade deadline is in the rearview mirror and, even though the Miami Heat were quiet on Thursday, there were still plenty of things that went down that could impact their playoff push. The All U Can Heat staff got together to review the deadline.

1. If you could describe the trade deadline with a song, what track are you choosing?

Stephanie Meadows: I would choose “Rumor Has It” by Adele when describing the trade deadline as a song. It may be too on the nose, but it’s relevant, haha. 

Noah Decker: “Empire State of Mind” by Jay-Z ft. Alicia Keys. New York was all over this trade deadline. The Knicks surrendered a few bench players to add quality role players in Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanovic. Brooklyn replaced a struggling Spencer Dinwiddie with Dennis Schroder. Both New York teams improved following the trade deadline.

Max Marshall: “Everything I Am” by Kanye West. “ Damn. Here we go again.” Another trade deadline or heat fans get their hopes up, but nothing happens.

2. What was the biggest trade deadline surprise?

Decker: It was what didn’t happen that surprised me. Leading up to the deadline, there were several rumors about star-caliber players being moved, such as Dejounte Murray and DeMar DeRozan. Aside from the Pascal Siakam deal, no stars were moved at this deadline. I was also surprised the Lakers did not make any moves, considering how poorly they have performed after winning the inaugural NBA Cup.

Marshall: Kelly Olynyk going to the Toronto Raptors. I really don’t get what Toronto is trying to do. And keeping Bruce Brown? A lot of playoff teams would’ve liked to trade for him.

Meadows: The biggest trade deadline surprise to me was the Heat acquiring Terry Rozier from the Charlotte Hornets. While I knew a possible trade for Kyle Lowry was coming, I didn’t think that it was going to be this outcome. It was a positive move for Miami, and Rozier’s trade has also reset the point guard market. It certainly added further context around discussions for backcourt playmakers, and now with Rozier and Herro in the backcourt for the Heat, our offense and defense have improved since breaking our unfortunate seven-game losing streak. 

3. Did the Miami Heat do enough?

Meadows: I think that it’s not a matter of doing enough trade-wise at this moment, in my opinion, for the Heat. Miami has a roster with depth, and I believe that we have the will and team to win. We recently upgraded at the point guard spot and improved our backcourt with Tyler Herro and Terry Rozier. We needed another wing player who could be a 3-level scorer, a more consistent version of Finals Caleb Martin. We have Jaime Jaquez  Jr., who seems to be filling that role. The production he’s giving as a rookie was something I never expected, and I do think he will have a defining game in the postseason. The lineup of Duncan Robinson, Herro, Jaquez, and Bam Adebayo had a 130 offensive rating and 106 defensive rating. Add Jimmy to that, and that’s a good choice for a closing lineup. The defensive leaps Duncan and Herro have made have helped us keep both of them on the floor and help our offensive and spacing a ton. In my opinion, it's not specifically about finding another star; it's about investing more in the team. It was great to see the actions taken after going through their losing streak. Now, we have won 4 out of the last 5 games, showcasing a will to win, ball movement, flow of offense, defending with a purpose, and the players having fun again with each other, which has helped our team camaraderie return on and off the court. This team will fight to the end, and that’s why you can’t give up on them. It’s a reflection of their depth, coaching, and culture. 

Decker: Miami’s big trade leading up to the deadline was swapping Kyle Lowry and his $30 million expiring contract for a much younger, more athletic point guard in Terry Rozier. The trade seems like it will help Miami in the long run. Rozier is a talented scorer and he is willing to make sacrifices for the team. It will take a few more games for the offense to fully gel, but Miami has done enough to remain competitive for the playoffs.

Marshall: Sometimes you are what your options are in life. Miami doesn’t really have a lot of trade assets. The only asset they really have is Tyler Herro, but this market didn’t really make a lot of sense to trade him. If anything, Miami will wait until the off-season. I would like to have seen Miami get bigger at the forward position, but there wasn’t much out there that made sense. As long as Miami continues to play better, I like its chances of having a strong season. Where that goes, we don’t know until we know. 

4. Which player that got traded elsewhere do you think would have been the best fit on the Heat?

Decker: Bojan Bogdanovic. He is a talented offensive wing player who could boost any team in the league. For Miami, he would provide more depth at the forward position. The Knicks acquired Bojan for a pretty low price. The Knicks will get better, and that stings a little bit.

Marshall: PJ Washington and Andre Drummond (who stayed in Chicago) were two guys I really wanted Miami to focus on. Both fill needs and would have given Miami some much-needed size.

Meadows: I think OG Anunoby would have been a good fit for the Heat. ​​Given his defensive skills and ability to shoot 3-pointers, he would have epitomized Miami’s culture. The Heat have been unsuccessful in acquiring top players like Donovan Mitchell, Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Damian Lillard in the past couple of seasons. During last year's Finals, the Heat struggled with a lack of depth in the forward position. Adding Anunoby, who is one of the best 3-and-D wings in the NBA, would have been a valuable addition to Miami's roster, providing them with size and versatility.

5. Rank the East playoff teams in order of who the Heat should be most concerned about to least concerned about.

Meadows: 

1. Boston Celtics 
2. Cleveland Cavaliers 
3. New York Knicks
4. Milwaukee Bucks
5. Philadelphia 76ers
6. Indiana Pacers
7. Orlando Magic
8. Chicago Bulls
9. Atlanta Hawks
10. Brooklyn Nets

Decker:

1. Boston Celtics
2. New York Knicks
3. Philadelphia 76ers (assuming Embiid returns)
4. Milwaukee Bucks
5. Cleveland Cavaliers
6. Indiana Pacers
7. Orlando Magic

Max Marshall 

1. Boston Celtics.
2. New York Knicks
3. Philadelphia 76ers
4. Milwaukee bucks
5. Indiana Pacers
6. Cleveland Cavaliers 
7. Orlando Magic
8. Chicago Bulls