Getty Head Coach Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat.
As the NBA rounds the corner toward the trade deadline in February, many teams are likely internally planting their flags firmly in either the “buyer” or “seller” column. But what about the Miami Heat? At present, the team is caught between two eras: an aging corps of Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry and the team’s young future in Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro (and maybe Nikola Jovic?).
Such a precarious place makes it difficult to predict whether the Heat will be bonafide buyers or sellers at the deadline. Throw in the fact that the Heat are 20-18, tottering between the six and seven seeds in the East, and the situation gets only murkier.
But there are still moves to be made if the Heat wants to keep itself in contention. In one such move, uncovered by Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports, the Hawks could look to boost their chances this season by trading for Hawks forward John Collins, whom the team has had an interest in acquiring this season.
“John Collins, too, the Heat are one of the teams watching that situation, but they probably need more young assets to send back. Everyone talks about the Lakers’ 2027 pick but (Miami’s 2027 pick) is one that the Heat can trade as well, and there is a lot of value being placed on that pick because you can imagine them hitting a bottom around then. Is it enough to help them get Collins? Probably not but it is a good asset for them,” an Eastern Conference executive told Deveney recently.
This sounds much more like the Miami Heat we’ve come to know and love (unless you live in Boston). Sacrificing whatever young assets and draft capital it has to bring in a decent option to keep the team competitive.
Would Collins be enough to vault Miami over the likes of the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Boston Celtics? Unlikely.
But Collins could fulfill a role the team has been missing since a familiar face departed in the summer.
Collins Could Be ‘Dirty Work’ Player for Heat
According to another Eastern Conference executive that Deveney spoke with, the Heat are looking for a roster upgrade in the form of a “dirty work kind of guy”:
“(The Heat) want a guy like (Jae) Crowder or (P.J.) Tucker if they can get one.”
Collins surely could fill that spot. His on-court fit with Bam Adebayo might be a headache on offense (Crowder and Tucker are better spacers offensively), but deploying the former Wake Forest Demon Deacon as a menace for opposing teams’ best players is a formula that’s worked in the past.
In that vein, Collins does make the Heat a slightly more intriguing option during the playoffs. His numbers are down this season, but the Heat have a solid track record of getting the most out of usually depleted assets.
Heat Blasted for Not Replacing PJ Tucker
It’s not the first time the Heat have been on called out for the PJ Tucker-sized void in the lineup. On New Year’s Eve, Dan Favale of Bleacher Report called out the Heat for not replacing Tucker, a move he labeled as the team’s biggest regret of 2022.
“The Miami Heat cannot be vilified for losing Tucker. Even if they were willing to match the money, his reunion with James Harden, Daryl Morey, and Danuel House on the Philadelphia 76ers appeared fait accompli,” Favale said.
Pregame oop from Trae Young to John Collins.
“Sort of moseying along from there, without an actual replacement for Tucker, is a different story.”