The Miami Heat reportedly are not looking to trade point guard Kyle Lowry or break up their roster ahead of this season’s trade deadline.
Miami is not trying to deal Kyle Lowry, per @flasportsbuzz
“With the Heat playing a lot better — 13 wins in its past 19 games — any thought of Miami ‘breaking up its roster’ has gone from not totally inconceivable to unlikely.” pic.twitter.com/Tt4Tarr8Lt
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 19, 2023
The Heat have won seven of their last 10 games and currently hold the No. 6 spot in the Eastern Conference with a 25-21 record.
While Lowry has a hefty salary for this season and the 2023-24 campaign, the Heat appear to be content with trusting the roster they have now.
It makes sense since Miami was just a game away from the NBA Finals last season despite losing Tyler Herro to injury in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics.
Herro was limited at the end of the series, and the Heat still almost beat Boston, coming up short on a Jimmy Butler 3-pointer in the closing seconds.
Miami did lose P.J. Tucker in free agency this past offseason, but forward Caleb Martin has filled in admirably in his place and is on a team-friendly deal for the next few seasons.
Lowry, who came to Miami in a sign-and-trade deal with the Toronto Raptors prior to the 2021-22 season, returned to Miami’s lineup on Wednesday after missing four games in a row due to injury.
The veteran guard is averaging 12.9 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game this season while shooting 40.1 percent from the field and 33.6 percent from beyond the arc. Lowry is an NBA champion, and even though his numbers have dropped off a bit since coming to Miami, he is still an important part of the team’s rotation.
It had been rumored that Miami may be interested in dealing Lowry for Minnesota Timberwolves guard D’Angelo Russell, who is on an expiring contract and will be an unrestricted free agent in the coming offseason.
However, it appears Miami is focused more on keeping things intact, especially after the team dealt with a ton of injuries to open the 2022-23 season.
The Heat have been playing better as of late, and having Lowry, Butler, Herro, Victor Oladipo and others all in the lineup at the same time should help them make a run in the second half of the season.
It will be interesting to see if anything changes for Miami ahead of the NBA trade deadline on Feb. 9 this season.
