Getty Kyle Lowry of the Miami Heat.
As the February 9 NBA Trade Deadline approaches, it seems that more and more rumors surrounding the Miami Heat keep popping up. The situation makes sense. Miami isn’t quite meeting the expectations of a team that finished in first place just a year ago and was one win away from an NBA Finals appearance. The Heat remain slotted as the eighth-best team in the Eastern Conference. Their 23-20 record has them just a half-game behind both the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks, who are tied for sixth.
Despite injuries being the main cause of Miami’s struggles, the roster still has real problems that can be fixed within the next month.
On January 13, Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer reported that the Heat have shown interest in Minnesota Timberwolves guard D’Angelo Russell.
“The Heat have in fact registered interest in Russell,” Fischer wrote in response to the popular idea that Miami and Minnesota would swap guards ahead of the deadline.
There has been plenty of speculation that the Heat would like to move off of aging guard Kyle Lowry’s nearly $30 million salary.
Fischer went on to pump the breaks a bit on that idea.
“A direct deal for Lowry would appear unlikely,” he explained. “Lowry is just a few months away from entering the final season of his own contract worth roughly $30 million in average annual salary, and it’s hard to imagine Wolves officials being eager to extend the aging guard another exorbitant payday when he becomes extension eligible this summer — putting Minnesota in the exact situation it faced with Russell last July.”
It seems that if the Heat were to swing a deal with the Timberwolves, then they’d have to include more than just the 36-year-old. However, Fischer did not elaborate on what it’d take for both sides to agree on a trade.
For what it’s worth, it certainly sounds like Russell is ready to move on from Minnesota, which could put pressure on the franchise to move him. Fans began to notice that he had unfollowed the Timberwolves on Instagram back on January 4.
Russell told Fischer that he has been hearing the rumors.
“Yeah, it’s my life,” the seven-year veteran told Yahoo Sports. “That’s it. Just be conscious of it.”
Fischer highlighted that Russell has been a player that takes the rumors to heart in the past.
“Following the 2018-19 season, in which he became an All-Star with Brooklyn, the guard noticeably wore Ohio State gear to Nets facilities during spring workouts after he’d learned of Brooklyn’s impending pursuit of Kyrie Irving that summer, even sharing sentiments of betrayal to Nets coaches.”
The 26-year-old shared his outlook on the rumor mill wish Fischer, saying, “You either take advantage of me and my ability, or f*** up the opportunity with me.”
Possible Landing Spots for Kyle Lowry Revealed
If not the Timberwolves, there could be teams that the Miami Heat can unload Lowry to. However, Fischer believes that the options will be slim for the Heat due to the six-time All-Star’s lucrative contract.
“In general, there is little market around the league for point guards making that range of salary,” he said. “League executives are monitoring the Los Angeles Clippers and Phoenix Suns as teams in search of backcourt improvements before the deadline.”
Lowry’s numbers this season haven’t been worth his pay. The 36-year-old averages 13.1 points, 5.6 assists, and 4.4 rebounds per game. He’s missed a total of seven games for Miami this year, and the team has not missed him. The Heat’s January 12 win over the Milwaukee Bucks marked their sixth in Lowry’s seven absences.
Erik Spoelstra Downplays Heat’s Need for Trade
Heat Head Coach Erik Spoelstra is not in the camp of people who believe his roster needs an upgrade. During the January 10 TNT broadcast of the Heat’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the crew discussed the head coach’s feelings on a potential upgrade.
“We talked to Spo before the game about whether or not the Heat needed to add somebody, add another piece,” TNT broadcaster Stan Van Gundy said during Miami’s game against the Thunder. “And he really doesn’t think so — they just need to get whole.”
Spoelstra made a great point when discussing the potential of swinging a deadline deal. Miami has been riddled with injuries all season, and really has yet to get the chance roll with their full squad. Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, Victor Oladipo, and Gabe Vincent have all been sidelined for at least 10 games so far.