- Jimmy Butler on Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo: ‘We’re all going to end up winning a championship together’
- Bam Adebayo reveals he didn’t recruit Donovan Mitchell to Miami Heat
- Former NBA executive says Bam Adebayo’s defense has not been as ‘fearsome’ this season as it was in previous 2 campaigns
- Report: Omer Yurtseven cleared for high-impact work with hope to return after All-Star break
- Brian Windhorst thinks the Miami Heat need to make a trade because they have ‘one of the worst benches in the league’
- Report: Teams continue to call Miami Heat to gauge Kyle Lowry’s trade status
- Jimmy Butler makes heartfelt post for kid who traveled far to see him play: ‘Incredible kid that has an amazing life ahead of him’
- Kyle Lowry speaks out on trade rumors involving him and complaints from Miami Heat fans about his scoring
- Report: Heat began talking to Timberwolves about possible Kyle Lowry-D’Angelo Russell trade in December
- Shaquille O’Neal leaves Bam Adebayo off of his All-Star reserve ballot
5 Players the Miami Heat Should Look to Trade for by the Trade Deadline
- Updated: February 12, 2015
The Miami Heat currently have the eighth-best record in the Eastern Conference at 22-30 (tied with the Charlotte Hornets, but they are just a game ahead of the eighth-place Brooklyn Nets (21-31), and 1.5 games ahead of the Boston Celtics (20-31).
Further down the standings, four teams – the Nets, Celtics, Detroit Pistons (21-33), and Indiana Pacers (21-33) – are within three games of the Heat in the loss column, which fans, players and media begin to track more closely every season around this time.
And with the Milwaukee Bucks sitting comfortably in the sixth spot in the East with a record of 30-23, it appears the six teams mentioned above, including the Heat, will be competing for the final two playoff berths in the Eastern Conference.
With the playoffs within reach, the Heat (and every other team except the Celtics, who are more interested in compiling draft picks rather than players) will almost certainly be buyers as the February 19th NBA trade deadline approaches.
Some of those teams, including the Hornets, have already made noise (Charlotte traded for point guard Mo Williams from the Minnesota Timberwolves).
Buyers can generally only make trades with sellers – teams that have no hope of making the postseason and are therefore likely to move players for assets they hope will pay off down the line.
Let’s take a look at five players that may be dealt away by their current teams and how they might find themselves wearing a Miami Heat (or other) jersey in the next week or so.
1. Arron Afflalo (Denver Nuggets)
As discussed here a few weeks ago, Arron Afflalo will be among the most pursued players in the trade market.
Afflalo is an athletic 6’5″ shooting guard whose versatility and ball-handling skills allow him to play nearly every position on the floor. He is also a better-than-average defender and would be a valuable addition to the Heat, who will be without the services of star guard Dwyane Wade (right hamstring injury) at least through the All-Star break.
The 7-year veteran out of UCLA is averaging 14.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game this season.
Denver may be motivated to move Afflalo before the trade deadline since the Nuggets talented roster has vastly underachieved under coach Brian Shaw and currently sport a 20-33 record.
Next Page: Jordan Hill (Los Angeles Lakers)
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