Miami Heat: Why Dwight Howard Would Be A Bad Fit

The Miami Heat are reportedly interested in making a trade for Dwight Howard, but is it the right deal? Or should the Heat stay away?

It was revealed earlier yesterday by Chris Sheridan of Sheridan Hoops that the Miami Heat were looking into the possibility of trading for Houston Rockets’ center Dwight Howard. These reports were promptly brushed aside by Howard himself, along with Heat beat writer Ira Winderman.

Have been told from inside the Heat absolutely nothing to speculation linking Whiteside to Dwight Howard or DeMarcus Cousins.
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) December 15, 2015

While Sheridan is no stranger to the NBA’s rumor mill, this report does seem out of left field. He goes on to state that the Heat would have to give up Hassan Whiteside and Justise Winslow to make the trade work – which makes the move all the harder to believe.

Not only is it hard to believe that the Heat would sacrifice Whiteside (who is widely considered to be one of the best young centers in the league), it is even harder to accept that the Heat would give up Winslow as well.

One of the reasons cited by believers of this rumor is the fear that Whiteside could end up leaving in free agency for nothing. Whiteside will become an unrestricted free agent during the offseason, which will hurt the Heat’s bargaining power.

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Add to that the fact that Dwyane Wade (also an unrestricted free agent) will be up for a near-max contract extension, and the Heat will find it hard to compete with the rest of the big spenders in the free agency market.

But if the Heat fear losing Whiteside in the offseason, trading for Howard makes even less sense. Under his current contract, Howard has a player option for the 2016-17 season. If he chooses to opt in, he will be on the books for $23.3 million.

Whether he chooses to opt in will depend on how he performs this season – if he manages to perform well and the Rockets can salvage their season, Howard would most likely choose to opt out to sign a bigger deal once the new salary cap kicks in next season.

If the Heat trade for Howard, the risk of losing him in free agency (should he choose to opt out) is just as big as losing Whiteside. Sure, Whiteside is a younger talent and would drive more demand, but Howard isn’t exactly short on admirers either. The front office could talk to Howard and work out a deal where he opts in for another year in exchange for a bigger payout in the following offseason, but at that stage, it seems as though negotiating with Whiteside would yield a better outcome.

Another reason cited by fans of the Howard-Miami trade idea is the notion that the Heat are in “win-now” mode and that Howard would give the Heat a better chance at winning now than Whiteside would. Compare the following stats:

Player A: 12.6 points, 11.6 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, 3.5 fouls, 32.4 minutes per game.

Player B: 12.1 points, 10.5 rebounds, 4.0 blocks, 2.3 fouls, 27.6 minutes per game.

Who would you rather have on your team?

For those wondering, Player A is Howard and Player B is Whiteside. For nearly five less minutes per game, Whiteside is producing nearly as much as Howard is. Whiteside’s efficiency trumps Howard, and the only reason why Whiteside isn’t performing much better is that the Heat coaching staff have been really selective with his minutes. Replacing Whiteside with Howard won’t give the Heat a better chance at a title – it’s a lateral move at best.

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Yes, with Wade and Chris Bosh’s title windows closing fast, this would be the perfect time for the Heat to make a push. But doing so with Howard as the focal point would be counter-productive. Their best bet is to develop Whiteside and Winslow, and hope that the two can provide enough help for the two aging superstars.