“First Things First” host Nick Wright discussed several hypothetical LeBron James trades recently, including one that would send the Los Angeles Lakers forward to the Miami Heat in exchange for Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson.
Nick Wright LeBron/Heat trade Idea today
Lakers receive – Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson
Heat receive – LeBron James
“Every single one of those teams would be better positioned than the Lakers would to win a title”
(Via @FTFonFS1) pic.twitter.com/HsB7gd9byP
— Emo Jimmy (@WheelerJaylen) January 31, 2024
Herro has been one of Miami’s best scorers so far during the 2023-24 regular season. He is averaging a team-high 21.5 points per game while shooting 43.2 percent from the floor in 28 games played with the Heat. The guard is also contributing 5.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.
As for Robinson, he has served as an elite 3-point shooter for the Heat in his sixth NBA season. Across 45 appearances and 17 starts, he is averaging 13.2 points per game on 40.4 percent shooting from deep.
Part of what makes Robinson’s 3-point percentage so impressive is the fact that he’s taking 3-pointers at such a high volume, evidenced by the fact that he’s averaging 6.8 3-point attempts per game this season.
But for as well as Robinson and Herro have played for the Heat this season, they both are fresh off unspectacular performances in the Heat’s most recent game versus the Phoenix Suns on Jan. 29. The former logged just four minutes of playing time and missed his one shot from the field, while the latter ended up with 17 points, six rebounds and four assists but shot just 5-of-18 from the floor.
Like the Lakers, the Heat are amid one of their worst stretches of basketball of the season from a collective standpoint. Miami’s loss to the Suns marked its seventh defeat in a row, which is the longest losing streak in the NBA at the moment. The Heat’s losing streak could be in jeopardy of ballooning to eight games, considering Miami will face off against the Sacramento Kings at home on Wednesday night.
At least on paper, Wright’s hypothetical trade makes sense from Miami’s perspective. After all, James is still one of the very best players in the NBA despite being long in the tooth and the league’s oldest player at 39 years old.
