The Miami Heat have yet to make any big moves in the 2022 NBA offseason, but former coach David Thorpe says one big move that could dramatically impact the Heat’s primary core of players.
On TrueHoop, Thorpe expressed his belief that the Heat should swap Tyler Herro for Phoenix Suns forward Cameron Johnson to help bolster their severely lacking frontcourt.
“Though four years older than Herro, Johnson went two picks ahead of him in 2019,” he wrote. “An excellent defender who is improving, Johnson also hit 39 percent of his 3s in his first three seasons and 41 percent in the past two postseasons. Like Herro, he has been a solid role player on one of the league’s elite teams. He is not the scorer or shot creator Herro is, and that matters to Miami; yet Johnson did score 12 points a game on the second unit of a very balanced offense. He should get more 3-point looks in Miami, meaning he’d fill some of the 3-and-D void from [P.J.] Tucker’s departure.”
Though some interesting points are made in Thorpe’s breakdown, the thought that the Heat would move the 22-year-old reigning Sixth Man of the Year award winner for a 26-year-old forward who has started just 36 of 183 games in his NBA career is somewhat laughable.
Sure, the Heat are in need for forward depth, but trading away a player who some argue has true star potential for a player that has arguably already reached his full potential seems to fly in the face of everything the Heat organization stands for.
Moreover, a more logical trade candidate in the Heat’s backcourt would arguably be Victor Oladipo. Though Oladipo is still looking to make a full comeback from his various serious injuries, he showed out in the 2022 NBA Playoffs and could certainly garner trade interest if the Heat made him available.
For the Heat, there seems to be a lot of confidence regarding the current roster despite its shortcomings. Earlier this week, guard Gabe Vincent stated that the team still has a “championship or bust” mentality.
Given the fact that the Heat made it all the way to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals last season, that mentality certainly seems logical.
Still, there is no denying that Tucker left a massive hole in the team’s starting frontcourt. The Heat may try to find a trade partner to acquire a solid veteran, or they may consider veterans that remain unsigned heading into the final weeks of the offseason.
What seems quite unlikely to be considered, however, is trading Herro for a fairly solid backup forward in Johnson.