Miami Heat: 3 potential trades with contending teams

1. Houston Rockets

Recently, there has been speculation regarding the Rockets’ possible pursuit of Atlanta Hawks swingman Kent Bazemore. In a deal involving the Rockets’ Ryan Anderson and a future first round selection, the Rockets would clearly looking to add to the wing depth they have lost thus far this summer.

This led Lowe on his recent podcast to speculate that the Heat could be in a position to offer a similar deal involving Tyler Johnson. With two years and $38.5 million remaining on his deal, Johnson has one the less team-friendly deals in the league. Having said this, Anderson himself is owed $41.7 million over the coming two seasons.

A genuine stretch-4, Anderson’s role with the Rockets dwindled significantly as last season progressed, ultimately averaging just 9.3 points in 26.1 minutes per game. Despite this, the 30-year-old Anderson still managed to connect at a 38.6 percent clip from 3-point range on 5.1 attempts per game.

Despite the presence of All-Stars James Harden and Chris Paul, Johnson would represent a welcome addition to the Rockets’ rotation. With his ability to play at both guard spots, this would only increase the flexibility afforded to head coach Mike D’Antoni.

Additionally, the departure of Johnson would help reduce the significant glut of natural shooting guards currently on the Heat roster. Furthermore, and despite his defensive limitations, the addition of Anderson would further assist head coach Erik Spoelstra and his implementation of small-ball lineups.

While the deal, which works out financially on the ESPN Trade Machine, does not assist the Heat financially, it does provide them a different look to their roster while also adding a valuable future first round selection.