Trade proposition from Miami Heat for the Memphis Grizzlies

Heat’s current outlook

The Miami Heat have their sights set on the Larry O’Brien Trophy. They should be looking to add anyone that can help them in their pursuit.

The Heat has some hefty contracts that can be used to make the money work in trades. The assets attached to the deals will have to be some combination of Miami’s many young players since their stash of draft picks is dry. Although Miami gets a lot of production from several of their young guys, there are some young guys that aren’t key contributors.

Of Miami’s nine players 25 or younger, five of them (Justise Winslow, Bam Adebayo, Kendrick Nunn, Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson) average at least 25 minutes per game. Derrick Jones Jr. averages 16.7 minutes, two-way player Chris Silva averages 9.7 minutes, two-way player Daryl Macon averages 3.5 minutes and KZ Okpala is slated to start spending time in the G League.

Accompanying one or more of these youngsters will be a veteran on a large contract. Miami has options there, too (although they may not be the ones deciding which contract they send). Meyers Leonard and Goran Dragic each have contracts that expire after this season.

The Heat also has contracts that expire after next year in Kelly Olynyk, Dion Waiters and James Johnson. Waiters was recently suspended by the team for the third time this season, so there’s no chance a team will accept a trade package with him included. The contracts of Olynyk and Johnson are hefty, but aren’t impossible to move.

Olynyk has been a regular in the rotation. Johnson, meanwhile, has not. He has been available over the team’s last 11 games, he played in just one for eight minutes. In a recent game, Johnson wasn’t even with the team.

Miami would be wise to look for veteran talent to add. Even if it comes at the cost of a couple of their young guys, adding a veteran to the team can help them in the playoffs. Several rebuilding teams will have available players; one such team is the Memphis Grizzlies.