Although it may not be the deadline deal Miami Heat fans have been hoping for, the organization is reportedly making a trade, sending veteran center Dewayne Dedmon to the San Antonio Spurs.
As part of the deal, the Heat will send a second-round pick to San Antonio. It doesn’t sound like the Spurs are sending any players to Miami.
Dedmon played for the Spurs in the 2016-17 season, so he has some familiarity with the place he’s headed. During his first stint with San Antonio, he averaged 5.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest across 76 regular season games. He also appeared in 12 playoff games for the squad.
It seemed like it was time for the Dedmon era to come to an end in Miami, and the 33-year-old will now get a chance to start fresh with the Spurs. On one hand, it’s unfortunate for Dedmon to go from a solid Heat team to a struggling Spurs squad, but on the other hand, he’ll surely make the most of the opportunity.
In 30 games for the Heat this season, the veteran averaged 5.7 points and 3.6 rebounds per game while shooting 49.6 percent from the field. One can only wonder if Miami is setting itself up for a bigger deal by trading Dedmon away.
The trade deadline is just days away, as the Heat (and the rest of the league) have until Feb. 9 to make some noise. The consensus seems to be that Miami needs to add some help in order to become a true contender in the Eastern Conference.
As things stand now, the Heat are 29-25 on the season, good for the No. 6 spot in the East. The squad has been playing improved ball in recent months but is currently riding a two-game losing streak.
Miami has one game left before the deadline, and it will come on Wednesday against the Indiana Pacers. Time will tell if the Heat roster has a significantly new look by the time the league is done making trades this week.