The Miami Heat very nearly made it back to the NBA Finals last season, but their furious rally in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics came up just short. The hope was that they would be able to get healthy and rebound after a tough loss to make it back to the Finals this season.
So far, though, the Heat appear to have quite a few issues that don't have any real solution right now. They have crawled out to an 8-11 start, which is a steep drop after they finished with the best record in the East last season. Whether it be regression from some players who played at extremely high levels last season, or the front office's failure to address their key needs this offseason, Miami is in trouble right now.
Of course, there is still a lot of time for things to change, and an easy way to fix things in Miami would be to swing a trade midway through the season. There are a couple of big trade targets the Heat have right now, but let's take a look at why their biggest trade target could end up being their most realistic.
Heat's realistic trade target: Jakob Poeltl
The Heat made a fatal mistake this offseason when they let P.J. Tucker depart for the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency, and then promptly failed to replace him. Tucker's loss has been felt in a big way early on this season, as Jimmy Butler has been playing out of position at power forward, and the Heat have been forced to run small lineups all game long.
Adding some height to this team is their biggest need, whether it be a power forward or another center. Jakob Poeltl is one of the best big men who may be available on the trade market given the state of the rebuilding San Antonio Spurs, and he would be the perfect fit for the Heat. He may not actually be the most realistic trade target, but his fit with Miami should make him their most realistic target at this point in the season.
Poeltl is a solid, if unspectacular, center who does his job well with the Spurs. His stats aren't outrageous (13.1 PPG, 10 RPG, 3.6 APG, 63.6 FG%) but he manages to make an impact in the paint on both sides of the ball, and is exactly the type of player the Heat need to allow their team to reemerge as a title contender this season.
Poeltl could slide right into the Heat's starting lineup at center and immediately add an element to their game that doesn't exist. Miami's small lineups are making it tough for them to defend in the paint and score in the paint on the other end, and the Heat aren't a good enough shooting team to get by without having the ability to get easy buckets in the paint from time to time.
The biggest reason this deal should immediately become a consideration for Miami is because it will free Bam Adebayo from the shackles of the center position. Adebayo is probably better suited to be playing center, but adding Poeltl and moving him to power forward would immediately make the Heat a very dangerous team in the blink of an eye.
Adebayo is an interesting player because it feels like he's constantly underutilized by the Heat, but they haven't really had a choice this season, because they have no other option but to play Adebayo at center. But moving Adebayo to power forward could unlock the Heat on both sides of the ball.
With a center like Poeltl anchoring the paint, Adebayo could be given the freedom to roam around on defense and do whatever he pleases. Adebayo is one of the best defenders in the game, but if he's stuck in the paint for much of the time, it limits his impact. What makes Adebayo so dangerous is that he can stick with guards at the perimeter, but a free-roaming role only exists if someone else can play center.
Offensively, Adebayo has the ball handling and passing ability to run the offense, but it's something that the Heat have strayed away from recently. With Adebayo at the point and everyone moving off the ball for him, Miami's offense is lethal. Again, he would have the freedom to operate in this capacity with Poeltl onboard.
Poeltl isn't the flashiest addition, but he could help Adebayo open up his game to an extent we haven't seen in awhile. This may be a bit of a pricier addition for Miami, but there isn't another guy like Poeltl on the trade market who could help this team go from struggling to make the playoffs to a title contender in the blink of an eye. For that reason, adding Poeltl is a move the Heat absolutely must make this season.
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