Getty Miami Heat president Pat Riley speaks during Shaquille O'Neal's 2016 jersey retirement ceremony.
Don’t look now, but after a weird (bad) start to the season, the Miami Heat suddenly bear the look of a force to be reckoned with in the Eastern Conference. The team’s 111-101 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday marked its fourth consecutive W and its ninth in 13 games dating back to November 23.
As a result, the Heat are back over the .500 mark for the first time since, well… last season. Meanwhile, there have been a number of positive developments for the club — Jimmy Butler is back and playing at a superstar level, Bam Adebayo has progressed as a go-to scorer, the Heat are trolling the NBA with their injury reports; good times!
That said, the team’s offense as a whole still leaves a lot to be desired. Even during the aforementioned 13-game stretch, Miami mustered only 109.9 points per 100 possessions, a number which ranked just 24th over that span. So, despite the recent progress, the Heat continue to receive mention as players on the trade market.
Whether Pat Riley can pull another rabbit out of his hat and bolster Miami’s attack by the league’s February 9 trade deadline remains to be seen. However, one of the better offensive players to be linked to the Heat — Detroit Pistons sharpshooter Bojan Bogdanovic — may not be available at this point.
Stein: Pistons Telling Teams to Forget About Bojan Bogdanovic
Professional shooter, Bojan Bogdanovic.
Bogdanovic’s name has been a rumor mill mainstay since his previous team, the Utah Jazz, dealt Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell over the summer; the move to Detroit did little to quell the chatter surrounding him. Of course, averaging 21.3 PPG and shooting 42.3% from deep while not matching your team’s timeline (like, not even a little bit) will keep one’s name in the dirt sheet.
However, in the December 18 edition of his Substack newsletter, longtime league insider Marc Stein reported that the Pistons have designs on keep Bogey:
“The messaging from the Pistons to date is that they want to have a trusty vet like Bojan Bogdanovic on the roster next season to help a fully healed Cade Cunningham and the rest of Detroit’s young core mount a playoff push. The reality, though, is that with Bogdanovic playing so well, interested teams are sure to remain interested and likely to keep rising the Pistons’ phone and testing their resolve.”
Aside from his offensive prowess, Bogdanovic has the kind of contract the cash-strapped Heat should be coveting in trade talks. While he’s fully guaranteed at $20 million next season, he’s only guaranteed $2 million in 2024-25.
Bogdanovic Has Been Linked to the Heat More Than Once Recently
In September, The Athletic’s Tony Jones told Salt Lake City radio host Spence Checketts that Miami was “lurking” on the Bogdanovic front. However, Utah’s reluctance to take back Duncan Robinson’s contract ultimately disrupted the deal-making process and the baller was eventually shuttered off to the Pistons instead.
More recently, HoopsHype‘s Michael Scotto listed the Heat among a cadre of potential suitors for the 33-year-old:
“Bogdanovic’s strong play has led numerous playoff-caliber teams around the league to express interest in trading for him, including the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks, and Atlanta Hawks, among several others, league sources told HoopsHype.
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Heat Target, 20 PPG Scorer Unavailable as Rival Rebuffs Trade Overtures