Miami Heat: 3 compelling trade options for Dion Waiters

3. Brooklyn Nets

With a forward-thinking general manager in Sean Marks, the Brooklyn Nets have been one of the more active teams in the league in recent seasons in terms of making moves for intriguing players. In the summer of 2016, the Nets made the four-year, $50 million offer to Tyler Johnson, which the Heat eventually matched.

As the Heat are now well aware, the offer contained the dreaded “poison pill,” whereby Johnson’s average salary jumps from $5 million to $19 million this coming season. Despite this significant inconvenience, the Heat still decided to retain Johnson.

This deal, however, would be much more straight forward. Entering the final year of his three-year, $38 million deal, Jeremy Lin‘s time in Brooklyn has been significantly derailed by injury. After missing 46 games in his first Nets season, Lin made just one appearance last season before rupturing his right patella tendon.

While the primary purpose of the move is to clear future salary cap space, Lin is not far removed from producing at a high level. After a succession of hamstring injuries in his first season with the Nets, Lin was able to conclude that season on a high note.

Over his final 20 games of the 2016-17 season, Lin averaged 15.8 points, 5.0 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals in just 25.8 minutes per game.

While the following table is from 12 months ago, it nonetheless gives an idea of idea of what Lin is capable of producing when healthy:

A prototypical combo guard, Lin has proven the ability to play both on and off the ball, and most importantly would be able to replace a good portion of the role vacated by Waiters if such a deal went ahead.

Most importantly, the trade relieves Miami of one of several long-term deals, thus improving its flexibility in the short and long-term.