Despite the Miami Heat being known for their hesitancy when making trades and separating their team, they made a big move as they acquired Charlotte Hornets star Terry Rozier. They traded a 2027 first-round pick and point guard Kyle Lowry for Rozier as his name was connected to the Heat for some time now.
It was clear even before the season that Lowry was the most likely player to be traded on the Heat as ClutchPoints wrote earlier. While Lowry has the makings of a “true” point guard, Miami needed one that can score at a productive level which gives more juice to the offense.
That was the biggest need for the team as even fans were clamoring for two names to have in a Heat uniform. Those two would be Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray and Rozier. Well, they got Scary Terry in South Beach. So far this season with the Hornets, he has been averaging career-highs with 23.2 points and 6.6 assists while shooting 45.9 percent from the field.
With a huge need filled for Miami, are they done with trades, should they make another acquisition before the deadline? Here are two other needs that the team has that can be filled:
Another big-man with elite defensive skills
With any trade the Heat make after acquiring Rozier, they will have to be cheap. However, finding another active big-man on the defensive side to pair with Bam Adebayo and even Kevin Love couldn't hurt.
Players in mind would be the Brooklyn Nets' Dorian Finney-Smith and the more unlikely candidate in Portland Trail Blazers star Jerami Grant. Why the latter is unlikely is that his contract is $27.5 million and with Miami now having four players over $20 million in salaries, another one could cause problems for them.
Once again, they could trade away other assets like Caleb Martin and Duncan Robinson which would relieve some money, but it might not work. However, the other candidate in Finney-Smith truly fits this Heat team as a power forward that can defend at a very high level while evolving as a shooter.
Pairing a player like him with Adebayo could make for a scary front-court that no NBA team would want to face. For his contract, he has a $13.4 million salary with two years remaining, so with some discussions, Miami can possibly make it work. However, according to Yossi Gozlan, the Heat will be deep in tax for the foreseeable future.
Heat looking for a back up point guard?
With the trade for Rozier and getting rid of Lowry, another need is a back up point guard that can come in and help the second unit. However, the guards that are said to be available could cost the team a lot of money and don't fit as coming off the bench. It is likely that the Heat will look to the buyout market.
Since Miami is currently in a shooting slump that is sure to pick up due to the team getting re-acclimated cause of injuries and now with the trade for Rozier, more shooting help couldn't hurt in the backcourt. A name that fits the bill and could be on his way out is Detroit Pistons guard Alec Burks.
The 32-year old guard can light it up on occasion as he has been doing for the Pistons with nights like last Saturday against the Milwaukee Bucks where he scored 33 points and recorded six assists coming off the bench. He could be a valuable piece for the Heat as they will look for any chance to upgrade their offense while also finding ways to be cheap in acquiring players.
Follow Us
Subscribe