The Miami Heat struck out on the trade deadline market earlier this month, but it appears that they are considering the possibility of taking a rather big swing on the buyout market soon in the form of former MVP point guard Russell Westbrook.
According to a recent report, the Heat are soliciting information on the nine-time All-Star from people that they trust who have worked with him. Westbrook is not the only player the Heat have been connected to in the buyout market either.
Beyond the Love interest (and at least one of the California teams has interest too), Heat also has been gathering intel on Westbrook, soliciting input from people they trust who have worked with him
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) February 16, 2023
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love also appears to be a possibility for Miami.
The Miami Heat have emerged as suitors for Kevin Love, per @ShamsCharania. pic.twitter.com/55YGUDXW0l
— Heat Nation (@HeatNationCom) February 16, 2023
When it comes to Westbrook, it seems rather apparent that the Heat want to make sure that he wouldn’t be a major distraction if he were to join the Heat. He had a tough go of it with the Los Angeles Lakers prior to getting traded before the deadline, but it doesn’t seem fair to pin the blame on him.
Westbrook was set up for failure in L.A., as his playing style never really worked well with the way that roster was compiled. His fit alongside LeBron James was a concern immediately after he was acquired in the 2021 offseason, and it remained a concern until his final game with the team.
Now, Westbrook is officially a member of the Utah Jazz. However, he has not logged a single minute with the team and seems destined for a buyout agreement. That is when the Heat could swoop in.
When it comes to Westbrook’s potential role with the team, it would be interesting to see if the Heat try to test him at the starting point guard spot or have him come off the bench. He has come off the bench consistently for the first time in his NBA career this season and actually had some really impressive games in that role.
On the season, he’s putting up 15.9 points, 7.5 assists and 6.2 rebounds per game. Though he is no longer the triple-double machine that he once was, it is very clear that he can still put up decent numbers across the stat sheet.
Clearly, he’s a name to watch in the coming weeks.
