The NBA trade market during this offseason is something that the Miami Heat will be closely following. That’s because they’re expected to be very active in trying to improve their roster, though they will enter any talks with a strategic purpose in mind.
Keith P. Smith of RealGM.com looked at the players currently on the roster. That includes two veterans who have player options but are expected to opt in to the final year of their respective deals.
Neither of those veterans, Hassan Whiteside, who would make $27.1 million, and Goran Dragic, who would make $19.2 million, would likely be offered similar deals from other teams.
Smith indicated that Heat team president Pat Riley will be able to have a clearer sense when those decisions become official:
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“The above is of course predicated on Riley waiting out the contracts of Dragic and Whiteside and hitting the summer of 2020 with considerable cap space. Expect Miami to be active in trade talks as they’ll look to move money if they can. Keep in mind, however, that is something Riley will only do if they don’t take on money past this season. The only way the Heat will take on money past this year is if the player they get back is believed to have at least two or three good years left.”
Multiple Heat players will come to the end of their contracts next year, which figures to make the team major players in the 2020 free agent market. Of course, getting key free agents to actually sign is something that’s not guaranteed.
One Heat player who could make for some interesting trade talks is Ryan Anderson, with Smith explaining:
“When Anderson was traded from the Houston Rockets to the Phoenix Suns last season, he agreed to reduce his guaranteed amount from $21.3 million to $15.6 million, with the full $21.3 million guaranteeing on July 10th.”
The Heat could use that salary to match in a trade, or simply release Anderson and thereby save $5.5 million. That move would make it easier to help them avoid paying any luxury tax.
The bottom line is that Riley needs to find a way to balance patience with a focus on improving a team that failed to make the postseason and lost future Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade to retirement last season.
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