Veteran NBA reporter Brian Windhorst believes the Miami Heat need to make a trade prior to the deadline more than other title contenders in the NBA.
The way Windhorst sees it, Miami’s bench is a major liability for the squad, and he thinks the team really needs another rotation player who can score.
“The Miami Heat have one of the worst benches in the league, especially in scoring,” wrote Windhorst. “They’re right up against the luxury tax and might want to save their trade chips for bigger prizes down the line. The Heat can hope for better health — they’re certainly due for it — but could really use another rotation player who can put the ball in the basket.”
Miami’s bench is averaging just 28.2 points per game this season, which is the second-worst mark in the entire league. To make matters worse, the unit has an offensive rating of 48.3, which ranks dead last in the NBA among benches.
It’s probably safe to say that the Heat bench misses Tyler Herro, who anchored the unit last season and earned Sixth Man of the Year honors along the way. He averaged 20.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game in the 2021-22 campaign.
The 23-year-old has been in the starting lineup in all 39 of his appearances this season, so Miami’s bench has had to find new life without him. That has been a struggle at times.
Heat fans probably agree with Windhorst in the sense that the team needs to make a deal. While Miami is a few games over .500 at 28-23, many folks feel as though the team doesn’t have the necessary pieces to compete with some of the league’s top contenders.
Miami has been linked to a number of intriguing players lately, but one has to wonder how aggressive the team is going to be ahead of the Feb. 9 deadline. Plenty of Heat fans have grown frustrated with the organization’s lack of movement via trade in recent years.
The Heat have a tough stretch coming up, as they’ll face the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks in their next three games. All of those matchups will come on the road.
After those three games, the Heat will return home for their final contest before the trade deadline — a matchup against the Indiana Pacers.
