Heat Interested in Trading for 21-Year-Old High Flying Forward per NBA Insider

Getty President Pat Riley of the Miami Heat addresses the media during the introductory press conference for Jimmy Butler

The Miami Heat even after the strong play of Jamal Cain and Nikola Jovic still have questions about their power forward position and who will step into the hole left by the departure of PJ Tucker. Scouts believe that Jimmy Butler should play those minutes at the four, but he disputes that. Caleb Martin is the one that is most likely to get the position. He has talked about his desire to start and will probably get the chance to in Miami this year. However, will he be the long-term answer to help them compete for an NBA title? It’s hard to say. 

The Heat were named the preferred landing spot of former Heat player Jae Crowder, who is known to be wanting to be traded from the Phoenix Suns after learning that he will be coming off of the bench in favor of Cam Johnson. Miami doesn’t have the tradeable contracts to get a deal for Crowder done so it is unlikely he could be added until the All-Star break. On Wednesday, October 12, the Heat were linked to a surprising potential target at power forward in K.J. Martin from the Houston Rockets. 

Heat Linked to Rockets’ K.J. Martin

Martin has been reported to be seeking a trade from the Rockets since before the draft when he realized the team doesn’t have a role for him next season. NBA insider Kelly Iko reported that Martin “approached Rockets management to discuss the possibility of a trade” in June. However, talks haven’t increased much for Martin, but on October 12, Jake Fischer from Yahoo! Sports mentioned the Heat as one of the teams interested in landing the young forward. 

“Rockets forward K.J. Martin, another forward known to have interest in playing elsewhere, is one player the [Phoenix] Suns have held ongoing talks about obtaining, sources said,” wrote Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports. “Portland and Miami are two other known teams with interest in Martin.”

The young forward has shown flashes of potential in his short NBA career. He averaged 8.8 points and 3.8 rebounds in 21.0 minutes in 79 appearances for the Rockets. Iko reported last week that Martin’s “combination of age, athleticism and untapped potential” makes him “attractive” to teams around the NBA.

Martin is only 21 years old and certainly could have some potential to replace PJ Tucker for the Heat. He is strong, shoots a decent percentage with 53.3 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from beyond the arc. He also brings a defensive presence the team may not get with Caleb Martin in the frontcourt. 

Previous Trade Proposal Involving KJ Martin to Miami

This isn’t the first time that the Heat have been linked to Martin. Earlier this summer, the son of former All-Star Kenyon Martin was mentioned in a trade proposal from Bleacher Report that saw Martin Jr. and Eric Gordon headed to South Beach in exchange for Gabe Vincent, Haywood Highsmith, Duncan Robinson, and picks. 

Miami Would Get: Eric Gordon, Kenyon Martin Jr.

Houston Would Get: Gabe Vincent, Haywood Highsmith, Duncan Robinson, 2027 first-round pick (pending obligation to Oklahoma City; top 10 protection)