Will the Heat succeed to acquire a superstar on the trade market?
The Miami Heat were one of the NBA teams who expressed strong interest in acquiring Jimmy Butler from the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Heat nearly added the All-Star forward to their roster, but talks with the Timberwolves fractured after Minnesota asked for more trade assets in return. Instead of sending him to South Beach, the Timberwolves ended up trading Butler to the Philadelphia 76ers for a trade package including Dario Saric, Robert Covington, Jerryd Bayless, and a future draft pick.
With their current performance, the Heat obviously need more star power on their roster in order to make a huge impact in the 2018-19 NBA season. After earning their third consecutive losses against the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night, the Heat are currently sitting in the No. 11 spot in the Eastern Conference with a 6-11 record. According to Barry Jackson of Miami Herald, the Heat will continue to “explore potential trades” and could engage in a trade discussion with the Washington Wizards involving superstars John Wall and Bradley Beal.
“People around the organization knows changes need to be made and the urgency figures to grow as the losses mount, especially with Miami positioned to pay more than $9 million in luxury tax if the payroll isn’t trimmed by the last day of the regular season. Whether the Heat can do something significant with its available assets is another story entirely. Miami typically inquires about any All-Star players available, and the Heat likely will engage with Washington, which reportedly is listening to offers on guards John Wall and Bradley Beal.”
The potential acquisition of either John Wall or Bradley Beal will undeniably boost the Heat’s performance, especially on the offensive end of the floor. So far, the Heat only rank No. 27 in NBA’s offensive efficiency, scoring 102.8 points per 100 possessions, per ESPN. Between the two Wizards star guards, Jackson revealed that the Heat hold Beal in “high regard.”
Bradley Beal could form an explosive backcourt duo with Goran Dragic in Miami. Both guards have experienced playing alongside other ball-dominant players so they won’t have a big problem sharing the court together. However, it remains questionable if the Heat could come up with an interesting trade package that can convince the Wizards to move Beal.
Meanwhile, as much as Heat President Pat Riley wants to add a superstar to their team, Jackson believes that Miami will only consider trading for John Wall if they will be allowed to include some of the unwanted contracts in the deal. Wall’s massive contract extension is set to kick in next season which could have a huge effect on Heat’s salary cap flexibility for the next couple of years.
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