Getty Russell Westbrook #0 of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrates his inbound pass resulting in a last second three pointer
The Miami Heat are in an interesting position as we are now a quarter of the way into the 2022-23 NBA season. They are too close to the league’s luxury tax to add any players via free agency. Despite a number of trade rumors, they have been unable to finalize any deals for a star to team with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. Caleb Martin, Victor Oladipo, and Dewayne Dedmon are unavailable to trade at the moment, and so they are stuck with their current roster. Martin becomes available to trade after December 15, and Oladipo and Dedmon can be traded after January 15.
While a trade may take time, one league analyst predicted that the Heat could look and be a destination for Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook if Los Angeles buys out the 9-time All-Star.
“NBA sources have listed the Miami Heat as a potential destination for Westbrook as a post-trade buyout candidate,” Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus writes.
Russell Westbrook to the Heat
Westbrook has played well in his newfound sixth man role and surprisingly accepted the challenge issued by Lakers head coach Darvin Ham. However, with the Lakers not contending as they wish, Pincus suggests that they could seek to move on from Westbrook and, if not in the trade market, could just buy out his contract.
But concerns persist internally that Westbrook doesn’t complement LeBron James and that the mix of stars may not work in the postseason when rotations shorten. The Lakers also have guards Patrick Beverley and Kendrick Nunn (all three expiring contracts) as trade pieces for a smaller deal—or with Westbrook in a potential blockbuster.
The answer will depend on what other teams offer. The Lakers will give more if the return provides the team with a credible chance to flourish in the playoffs. Potential trade partners wouldn’t necessarily desire Westbrook, Beverley or Nunn for what they bring to the court. Rather, they would be the necessary salaries needed to take on in order to nab the Lakers’ distant firsts (2027 and 2029), which have value in part because they’re long after James and Davis are projected to be with the franchise,” Pincus writes for Bleacher Report before linking the Heat as a potential landing spot as quoted above.
Westbrook is averaging 14.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game for the Lakers. Certainly, that is down for what he is used to. However, he could still be a player that could help the Heat create offense if they were to sign him, which they currently stand at 27th in the league for their offensive rating, and that may be reason alone to pursue the former MVP.
Heat Also Interested in Bojan Bogdanovic
Recently the Heat have been stated to be “re-energized” in their trade pursuits, as Martin, Oladipo, and Dedmon will soon be eligible for trade. After being linked to Jae Crowder, they were also mentioned as being interested in Detroit Pistons big man Bojan Bogdanovic according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
“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. Thus far, Detroit has been unwilling to engage in trade talks for the 33-year-old forward. Rival executives, however, are hopeful that stance changes closer to the deadline if Detroit continues to remain in the cellar of the East, with Cade Cunningham expected to miss the rest of the season,” Scotto writes for HoopsHype.