Miami Heat: A trade proposition for the Indiana Pacers

The trade

Here’s an overview of the trade, which works out financially on the ESPN Trade Machine:

For the Heat:

Clearly giving up Dragic is not their ideal choice. However, given their current predicament, sacrifices have to be made.

In Cory Joseph, the Heat receive an adequate replacement for the upcoming season to slot into the starting point guard spot. A seven-year veteran just recently turned 27, Joseph is a more than adequate ball-handler, finishing with a 3.0 assist-to-turnover ratio. However, his greatest strength is at the defensive end of the floor, as Joseph explained in the midst of last season:

"“I’ve been asked to guard the best perimeter guys since I got here. I take pride on the defensive end, so whenever those assignments come my way and I can affect the game in that way, I try to do that.”"

While not a prolific scorer or shot creator, Joseph nonetheless converted at a 35.3 percent clip from long range last season, including 18 games of multiple triples.

In Bogdanovic, the Heat will be receiving one of the elite perimeter shooters in the league. In his fourth season, the Croatian native shot at a 40.2 percent clip from long range while averaging 14.3 points in 30.8 minutes per game, all numbers representing a career high. In all likelihood, the 29-year-old Bogdanovic would be featured in a prime bench role, backing up both Josh Richardson at the 3 and Dion Waiters at the 2.

Pros: Primarily, the creation of cap space, with $18 million coming off the books in the form of Bogdanovic and Joseph. Furthermore, after finishing 16th overall in 3-point shooting last season, the addition of the 6’8″ Bogdanovic certainly gives this a boost. In conjunction with Wayne Ellington and Kelly Olynyk, this certainly gives the Heat a significant amount of firepower in the second unit.

Cons: As the sole designated point guard on the roster, plenty now falls onto the shoulders of Joseph, who’s started just 86 of his 446 career games. However, most importantly, the talent and impact discrepancy between the outgoing Dragic and the players arriving is plentiful, despite the motivation for the deal. As a result, such a trade certainly puts a large dent in their playoff aspirations for the upcoming season.

For the Pacers:

A proven performer over his 10 years in the league, Dragic gives the Pacers an additional creator on top of Oladipo and the newly arriving Evans. Furthermore, this acquisition also indirectly acts as  a cover for Evans, who although still just 28, has not proven he can stay healthy and on the floor for any length of time. Not only did he miss 30 games last season, Evans also missed 42 games the year prior, and a further 57 games in 2015-16.

Having played alongside Dwyane Wade during his time with the Heat, and most recently running the team on his own accord, these attributes of Dragic will assist the Pacers immeasurably as they look to ascend in the standings.

Furthermore, the addition of underrated swingman Rodney McGruder will help fill the void in the rotation following the loss of Bogdanovic. Although regular playing time is far from a guarantee, McGruder has proven during his stints with the Heat that his ability to play exemplary defense while being able to knock down the open 3 should serve well in any environment.

Pros: Gaining the best player in the deal on a reasonable contract is naturally a win. Furthermore, the overall depth this provides the Pacers is immense. With Darren Collison now coming off the bench, the Pacers would certainly figure to improve their 22nd overall ranking in bench scoring last season.

Cons: The main negative is the contract of Dragic extending through the 2019-20 season. With a loaded 2019 free agency class, this could potentially wind up hurting the Pacers, should they again continue to climb the standings and pick up where they left off last season.

However, overall, Indiana is not generally considered to be a prime free agency destination, and thus the likelihood of attracting a superstar-caliber player is extremely remote. So with the contracts of two rotation players set to expire, the chance to flip these for an All-Star point guard still performing at a high level should be a no-brainer for the Pacers’ front office.

For the Heat, this is the unfortunate cost of handing out a series of overly generous contracts that has put them in this predicament. In essence, this is a deal designed for 2019-20 and beyond.