NBA Trade Rumors: Best Landing Spots for Dwight Howard

2. Miami Heat

With a star-studded starting lineup and a strong second unit, the Miami Heat were projected to be championship contenders in 2015-16. That vision hasn’t come to fruition, as Miami sits at a relatively underwhelming 29-24 entering the much-needed All-Star Break.

A trade for Dwight Howard could be what the Heat need to go from a Top 5 team in the Eastern Conference to a Top 5 team in the NBA.

Hassan Whiteside is a dominant shot-blocker and productive rebounder, but his offensive game is quite inconsistent. For all that’s made of Howard’s lack of offensive polish, he’s been productive and efficient as a scorer throughout his 12-year career.

With Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade present, Howard could complete a Big 3 that both throws the NBA back to the glory of the late 2000s and gives Pat Riley something to build with.

The cost of a trade for Howard would be immense, and there’s no rational way around that. Even if the Heat were to include Hassan Whiteside, he makes more than $20 million less than Howard—a reality that would force a number of other key assets to be dealt, including Luol Deng and, potentially, Goran Dragic.

With Bosh and Wade to balance Howard’s flaws and provide championship-caliber structure that one could argue he’s never had before, Miami could emerge as genuine contenders.

Next: A Mutually Beneficial Swap