South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Heat can fiddle as trade deadline looms
Ayear ago, the urgency was tangible for the Miami Heat a month out from the NBA trading deadline. The search was ongoing for an answer at power forward, in the wake of the previous offseason’s loss of Jae Crowder. There also was precious little rim deterrence in the power rotation beyond Bam Adebayo. And, as had long been an issue, depth at point guard was in question.
Within weeks, Trevor Ariza was acquired from the Oklahoma City Thunder, Victor Oladipo from the Houston Rockets, and Dewayne Dedmon was signed during the buyout period.
A year later, as the Feb. 10 trading deadline looms, there practically is a sense of fulfillment, hardly a desperation for change.
Yes, Pat Riley rarely has been shy with the trigger finger at the deadline, including two seasons ago, when Crowder and Andre Iguodala were acquired in a move that fueled the run to the 2020 NBA Finals.
But this feels different. The depth has been solidified. For each player forced out by injury or illness, Erik Spoelstra has unearthed a corresponding answer. An argument can be made for 12 players, maybe more, as contributors, yes, including even Udonis Haslem.
The equation has been changed. It’s not a case of why the Heat should make a move. It’s more a case of why shouldn’t Riley stand, well, pat?
The answers seemingly are in place, albeit all not yet fully explored.
Power forward: The Heat thought they had their answer at last season’s deadline in P.J. Tucker. Instead, the Milwaukee Bucks swooped in, acquired Tucker from the Rockets, and the rest was NBA championship history.
And then luxury-tax concerns got in the way in Milwaukee, to the Heat’s benefit, with Tucker added in August at a discount from the mid-level exception.
Tucker not only has cemented his role as starter, but is part of depth at the position that also
includes Markieff Morris and even Caleb Martin.
Now the Heat need to see exactly what they have in Morris, who has appeared in only 10 games courtesy of Nikola Jokic. A truer read on Morris by Feb. 10 would help.
Point guard: With Goran Dragic the August cost of acquiring Kyle Lowry, and with Kendrick Nunn lost in free agency to the Los Angeles Lakers, it was as if the age-old question at backup point guard was back.
Instead, the Heat developmental program completed the delicate process of recreating Vincent from shooting guard to point guard. From there, talk of adding a veteran free-agent point guard, such as Jeff Teague, largely has been tabled.
As a bonus, a tighter handle also has elevated Tyler Herro as playmaker, need be.
Center: For the most part, the big men who had complemented Adebayo hardly played to their 7-foot stature as players such as Kelly Olynyk and Meyers Leonard were as likely to be positioned at the 3-point line as in the paint.
That changed with the addition of Dedmon, and has been further upended by this latest emergence of Omer Yurtseven.
Typically, this would be the annual stage when the Heat question might be, “What about Demarcus Cousins?”
Now the Heat not only are three deep at center, but three deep at center with true centers.
Victor Oladipo: This is a one-man category that impacts numerous aspects of the Heat’s possibilities.
If Oladipo makes it back from his May quadriceps surgery looking anything like any previous version of Victor Oladipo, the Heat add an additional playmaker, additional defender at the point of attack, and an additional shot creator to further diminish the burden on Lowry and Jimmy Butler.
An argument could be made that there is not a single trade target who could add as much as a healthy Oladipo.
Now the question is whether the Heat can see enough of Oladipo by Feb. 10 to feel confident in what they have in the 29-year-old veteran.
Caleb Martin: Like Oladipo, Martin also stands as a personnel category of his own. Not because of specific singular skills, but rather an ability to play as somewhat of a universal donor.
Need another defensive wing? Martin. Need a small-ball power forward? Martin. Need energy off the bench or a jolt from the 3-point line? Martin.
Whether sooner or later, Martin eventually will be converted from his two-way contract to a standard deal that makes him playoff eligible.
KZ Okpala/Duncan Robinson: Which brings us to potential trade chips, if Riley can’t contain that itchy trigger finger.
With the emergence of Strus, an argument could be made for putting Robinson’s $15.7 million salary into play. But that only would be if a major deal were to be deemed necessary. Otherwise, such a salary would be better saved for the next big deal that comes along, if/when a big deal is needed.
As for Okpala, it would be a matter of thinning the roster to either hasten the conversion of Martin to a standard deal or to open a roster spot below the luxury tax for the buyout market. In that case, it likely would come down to the amount of a sweetener needed to offload Okpala’s $1.8 million salary.