NBA insider Zach Lowe doesn't believe the Miami Heat will express much interest in a trade for Ja Morant, no matter how much the fan base may want them to.
In Lowe's words, while he believes the Heat will check in on Morant, he ultimately doesn't believe the team will aggressively pursue a deal. There are certainly a ton of factors at play here, but Lowe thinks that the Heat will ultimately pass on the opportunity to acquire Morant.
And honestly, this shouldn't come as a huge surprise.
Ja Morant may not be a natural fit for the Heat's culture
Considering how much this franchise prides itself on organizational culture, Morant, at least on paper, may not be a traditional fit for the team. Add in the on-court concerns that have rapidly grown around Morant, mainly involving his offensive efficiency and defensive weaknesses, and it becomes quite clear just how risky a move this would be for a team like the Heat.
And probably not a gamble that they, despite the team's struggles this season, may not be looking to make.
In theory, a trade for Morant could seemingly be considered a Heat trademark move. He's an extremely talented star player who has become disgruntled in Memphis and could desperately use a fresh start.
Historically, those are the types of players that the Heat has targeted. However, Morant's regressing level of play in recent years, combined with his expensive contract, makes it that much more of a question mark for the Heat.
The big problem with trading for Ja Morant now
In past situations, the Heat targeting these types of players would catapult them into contender status, or at least into the conversation.
While Morant certainly has the talent to change the culture and raise the ceiling in Miami, it's difficult to envision that with how his play has leveled off recently.
And without the guarantee that he will bounce back, this becomes an incredibly risky move for Miami. Even more so if this becomes a trade that takes the Heat out of the superstar market during the summer (i.e., Giannis Antetokounmpo).
There's probably a scenario in which it wouldn't, but I'm not sure the Heat would want to put themselves in that predicament if there's even a chance it would.
It's objectively a difficult decision for the Heat. Or maybe it's not. At least in the eyes of Lowe, he doesn't seem to believe that the Heat would be very interested, if at all.
Maybe it is that simple, and the fan base is kind of just willing this idea into fruition. Either way, I'd tend to trust Lowe on this one, and if that does end up being the case, it may be time to cross the Heat off the list of potential Morant suitors.