According to one NBA source, the jury is still out on what exactly the Miami Heat’s plans are for the trade deadline, which is on Feb. 8.
“[Kelly] Olynyk, in particular, is highly sought after in the market,” Action Network’s Matt Moore wrote. “He’s a backup center in a market in which everyone wants size help for the playoffs who can also shoot, pass and defend. Miami has shown interest in Olynyk in the past, though with their recent seven-game slide, one source said, ‘No one knows what the hell Miami is going to do in the next week, as much as we know what any team will do.'”
The Heat have bounced back from their recent seven-game losing streak by picking up wins in each of their last two games. First, the Heat snapped their losing streak with a win over the Sacramento Kings back on Jan. 31.
Josh Richardson starred off the bench in Miami’s nine-point win over the Kings. In 27 minutes of action, he dropped 24 points, five rebounds, three assists and one block while shooting 9-of-15 from the field and 6-of-10 from 3-point range.
Richardson finished with the second-most points on the team behind only Jimmy Butler, who ended up with 31 points on 10-of-14 shooting from the floor and 9-of-12 shooting from the charity stripe.
Miami earned its most recent win over a subpar opponent in the Washington Wizards. The Wizards own the second-worst record of any team in the Eastern Conference at this point in time at 9-39 and have picked up just two wins over their past 10 games.
Bam Adebayo arguably had the best game of any player for Miami against the Wizards. He finished with 20 points, 14 rebounds and one block while shooting 8-of-14 from the field. Butler also scored 24 points, while Tyler Herro and Terry Rozier chipped in with 15 points each in the team’s eight-point win.
The Heat’s deal for Rozier certainly caught the attention of the NBA world, but it’s anyone’s guess if the team will try to make another splash before the deadline.
Olynyk stands out as a name that makes sense for the Heat to consider trading for before the deadline. He boasts a unique set of skills for a player of his stature, considering he is a productive playmaker and can shoot the ball accurately from behind the 3-point line.
