Getty Rudy Gay #22 of the San Antonio Spurs shoots a free throw during the second quarter of a game against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on November 22, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
If it seems like the Miami Heat is linked to a new trade nearly every day, it’s because the franchise desperately needs to shake up their roster and quickly. In order to replicate their success from last season and make another successful run at the NBA Finals, they need to obtain a big forward.
The Heat, sitting near the bottom of the Eastern Conference with an 11-16 record, are suffering from the fact that they never found a true replacement for Jae Crowder. According to 5 Reasons Sports Network’s NBA Insider, Miami are interested in trading for San Antonio Spurs power forward Rudy Gay.
On February 16, Adam Clutch tweeted, “The Heat have expressed interest in trading for Rudy Gay, per sources. There are multiple players on the Spurs that can be had for very little. Lamarcus Aldridge is also an option. Both Gay & LMA are on expiring deals. Heat have multiple contracts to help match.”
GettyRudy Gay #22 of the San Antonio Spurs warms up prior to the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Visa Athletic Center at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 03, 2020.
Gay, 34, is no spring chicken, but the 6-foot-8 former first-round pick is averaging 11.2 points per game this season, along with 5.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists. Gay, who joined the Spurs in 2017 after spending four season with the Sacramento Kings, signed a two-year $32 million deal to return to San Antonio in 2019, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported.
As it stands, the Spurs sit in sixth place of the Western Conference with a respectable 16-11 record, which means San Antonio is still very much in the playoff hunt. In order to obtain Gay, Miami could do a straight-up deal, and offer up Kelly Olynyk, Meyers Leonard, and/or Kendrick Nunn.
What About Spurs’ LaMarcus Aldridge?
GettyLaMarcus Aldridge (L) and Rudy Gay (R), both have expiring contracts with the San Antonio Spurs.
Aldridge, 35, was mentioned as a possible trade piece linked to the Heat because he’s also a power forward with an expiring contract, and at 6-foot-11, he definitely fits the bill to fill the void of a big man on Miami’s roster.
However, obtaining Aldridge will be more difficult for Miami as their trade pieces are all guards, a position for which San Antonio is already flush. All of their young talent — Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, Lonnie Walker, Devin Vassell — all are guards. It’s likely another team could offer up a better deal for Aldridge.
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The Heat Never Intended to Start The 2020-2021 NBA Season With Their Current Roster
GettyHead coach Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat reacts during the second half against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on January 25, 2021 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
On February 1, Clutch tweeted out some sobering, albeit not shocking news about the Heat’s current roster. He tweeted, “The Heat never intended to go into the season with this roster. They had multiple bigs they wanted to sign but those players took larger deals elsewhere. They’re searching the trade market for a starting caliber 4. This team will look different after the deadline.”
It would be a huge blow to miss the playoffs after making it to the NBA Finals last season, and according to Clutch’s report, they’ve been trying this whole time to add a forward in order to avoid that embarrassment.
While there was a lot of talk of James Harden joining the Heat through a blockbuster trade earlier in the season, the eight-time All-Star landed with the Brooklyn Nets.
There were also a lot of rumors swirling that Wizards star Bradley Beal would be traded to the Heat, but the Washington All-Star has since made it clear that he wants to stay in D.C. In the past week, the Heat have also been linked to Detroit Pistons’ Blake Griffin.
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