At 22-30, the Miami Heat have a lot to improve upon if they hope to make some noise in the playoffs this postseason.
The Heat are the first team in 50 years to reach 30 losses before the All-Star break just a year after the reaching the NBA Finals. The team has struggled with many issues, including offense, rebounding, and chemistry in their first season without LeBron James.
By trading one or more of their current players for new pieces from other teams, Miami has an opportunity to salvage what is quickly turning into a lost season. The trade deadline is at 3 PM EST on Thursday. The Heat have been linked to point guards such as Jameer Nelson and shooting guard Arron Afflalo of the Denver Nuggets.
While it’s clear Pat Riley and company will be on the lookout for veteran players throughout the rest of the NBA, the Heat will have to part with at least one of their own players in order to make a trade happen before the deadline.
Here are the five Heat players most likely to be traded before the deadline.
1. Justin Hamilton
Justin Hamilton is a “home-grown” product of the Heat’s system. Miami frequently develops projects and lesser-known talents before promoting them to its active roster. They have done this more recently with Tyler Johnson and James Ennis.
Having said that, what being a “product” of the Heat’s system also means is that you’re still a young player who has yet to show much in the NBA. Hamilton falls into this category.
While the organization and coach Erik Spoelstra love the intangibles that the 7-foot center brings to the table, they would not hesitate to jettison Hamilton if the right offer presents itself. While teams won’t exactly covet the 24-year-old center, his contract of $800,000 could balance a package deal under the salary cap if need be.
Considering he has played in just 24 games while averaging 2.8 points per game in 12 minutes a contest in 2014-15, this makes Hamilton expendable come trade deadline.
Next: Danny Granger
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2. Danny Granger
Danny Granger was a low-risk signing in the aftermath of James leaving for Cleveland last summer.
The hope was that Granger would prove to be a viable scoring option off the bench, while regaining some of the explosiveness that made him an NBA All-Star back in 2009.
Unfortunately, the veteran small forward missed the first 10 games of the season due to a hamstring injury. Since then, Granger has been very limited in what he has contributed on the court for Miami. Going into the All-Star break, the 31-year-old was averaging just 6.3 PPG on 40.1 percent shooting from the field in just 30 appearances.
Clearly, Granger has not been the sixth man the Heat envisioned when they signed him less than a year ago.
Miami has been shopping the veteran small forward around, and was insistent on trading Granger when they tried to package him with Norris Cole for Jonas Jerebko of the Detroit Pistons recently. Unfortunately for the Heat, the Pistons didn’t want Granger.
However, the small forward is on a modest two-year, $4.2 million deal and is due just $2.2 million next season. That makes it viable that a team could take a chance on the 10-year veteran.
Next: Shawne Williams
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3. Shawne Williams
It’s hard to believe how much Shawne Williams has fallen off the radar since the beginning of the season.
Williams started the first 17 games of the season due to Josh McRoberts’ injury. Believe it or not, he played pretty damn well as the team’s starting power forward. Over that stretch, the 29-year-old averaged 9.7 PPG on .482 from the field and .479 from beyond the arc.
Eventually, McRoberts got healthy—and Williams was shifted to the bench. To say that Williams has been mediocre off the bench is an understatement—in his 22 appearances off the bench he has yet to score in double figures in a single game.
He has fallen off the Heat’s depth chart and has missed recent games due to a hip injury. The fact that he makes just $1.2 million this year and has a non-guaranteed deal for next season may make him an attractive option for suitors. When you combine that with the fact that he’s a 6’9″ power forward capable of knocking down three-point jump shots, teams may take a chance on him.
Next: Norris Cole
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4. Norris Cole
As mentioned earlier, Cole was a part of the Heat’s failed trade proposal to the Pistons.
The Heat are ready to part ways with Cole. He is currently third in the point guard pecking order behind Mario Chalmers and Shabazz Napier. With the point guard becoming a free agent this summer, and Miami unlikely to offer a $3 million qualifying option to match offers by the June 30 deadline, they would be letting Cole walk without getting anything in return.
Which means the Heat just have a few more days to get a veteran, a prospect or a draft pick in return for the four-year veteran.
The issue here is that not many teams are willing to unload players and draft picks for a backup point guard who is clearly slumping this season. Cole started out the year as the starting point guard before being replaced by Chalmers.
On the season, he is averaging just 6.3 PPG on 38.6 percent shooting from the field. Making matters worse, his field goal percentage from three-point range is just 26.5 percent. Both shooting marks are career-lows.
Next: Chris Andersen
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5. Chris Andersen
Chris Andersen remains the best and most likely Heat player to actually be traded by the deadline.
Despite the fact that he’s 36 years of age, “Birdman” remains a coveted piece for title-contending teams. His ability to impact a game with his energy and ability to blocks shots are rare traits that not many players possess.
Because of Hassan Whiteside’s emergence and a plethora of big men on the free agent market in Amar’e Stoudemire, Samuel Dalembert and Andray Blatche, Andersen becomes an expendable piece for a Heat team that isn’t in title contention this season.
By trading “Birdman,” the Heat will increase their chances of getting a decent point guard, a prospect or even a draft pick in return.
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