Miami Heat: Why a trade for CJ McCollum would be too expensive

There is a perception around the league that the Miami Heat could be a potential landing spot for CJ McCollum this off-season. Jabari Young of CNBC suggested on June 5th that McCollum could be a fallback option for the Heat if they’re unable to acquire Damian Lillard.

But would acquiring McCollum be the right decision for the team? Not necessarily, as Miami will most likely use him as a floor spacer. Miami ran an offensive system last year revolving around dribble handoffs and pick and rolls.

Let’s take a look at why CJ McCollum would be too expensive for the hypothetical role he would play on the Miami Heat next season.

Miami finished second during this season in dribble handoffs, averaging 8.3 per game. Head coach Erik Spoelstra gave 42.2 percent of those possessions to starters Duncan Robinson and Jimmy Butler, as they combined for 3.5 per game. The next closest starter in dribble handoff possessions was Kendrick Nunn, as he only averaged 1.4 per game.

The Heat were also 22nd in the league in pick and rolls, averaging 17.9 possessions per game. Butler accounted for 36.9 percent of those possessions, averaging 6.6 per game. There is a significant drop-off from Jimmy Butler to the next starter in pick and roll possessions; as starting point guard, Kendrick Nunn only averaged 3.7 possessions per game.

Miami’s offensive system contributed to all of the players having to spend a significant portion of the minutes as floor spacers. For instance, Kendrick Nunn took 49 percent of his shots from behind the arc, averaging 5.7 per game. 73.7 percent of those threes were catch and shoots, as he averaged 4.2 per game.