Heat Urged to Strike Deal for New Starting Forward in Trade Deadline Move

Getty Kevin Durant #7 of the Brooklyn Nets holds off John Collins #20 of the Atlanta Hawks.

With over half of the Miami Heat’s season in the books, the team sits in eighth place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 22-20. That isn’t quite the start Miami had in mind after pushing the Boston Celtics to seven games in last season’s Eastern Conference Finals. Luckily for the Heat, there is still about a month until the February 9 NBA Trade Deadline, leaving them with plenty of time to get a deal done.

Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz predicted potential playoff matchups in a January 12 article. Swartz had the Heat slotted to finish as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. He mentioned that a trade may be needed for Miami to have the best chance to make a run.

“This is a roster that could probably use a trade, possibly to add a bigger starting power forward who can shoot threes and defend at a high level,” Swartz wrote.

He also predicted a solid second-half from from Heat, who have been cursed with injuries this season.

“Simply being healthier down the stretch should help the Heat climb out of the play-in tournament, however, although a sixth seed looks like the ceiling for this group as presently constructed,” Swartz explained.

Heat Urged to Move In On John Collins

If the Miami Heat want to really make a splash at this season’s deadline, Swartz believes that John Collins is their man.

In a separate article from January 11, he went into detail about why Collins would be a great fit in South Beach.

“Collins is an ideal fit if the Atlanta Hawks would agree to help the Heat. He could solidify the position for years to come and make sure Jimmy Butler doesn’t have to defend fours in the playoffs,” Swartz wrote.

Miami could definitely benefit from adding some size to potentially help guard the likes of Julius Randle, Al Horford, and Giannis Antetokounmpo come playoff time.

Swartz also cited the 25-year-old’s ability to stretch the floor as a reason for the Heat to trade for him. In the past, Collins has proven to be a serviceable shooter from range, making 35.8% of career attempts. However, he has struggled this season. The $125 million dollar man has made just 23.1% of his threes for a struggling Hawks team so far.

The asking price for Collins may be beyond that Miami is willing to pay for the 25-year-old.

“What you are seeing with Collins now is that the Hawks want him to be treated like an All-Star, they want a big-time return for Collins — not quite like the Rudy Gobert or Donovan Mitchell trades, but something in that neighborhood,” an anonymous Eastern Conference Executive told Heavy.com’s Sean Deveney. 

Heat Proposal Ditches Kyle Lowry for Kyle Kuzma

Another viable frontcourt upgrade for the Miami Heat would be Kyle Kuzma. In a recent article for Heavy.com, Jack Simone outlined how Miami could land the former NBA champion. Simone proposed the following three-team deal involving the Los Angeles Lakers and Washington Wizards:

Lakers receive: Lowry, Will Barton, Duncan Robinson, Taj Gibson

Heat receive: Kyle Kuzma, Monte Morris, Kendrick Nunn

Wizards receive: Russell Westbrook, Nikola Jovic, 2027 1st-Round Pick (Top-5 Protected via LAL), 2029 1st-Round Pick (Top-10 Protected via MIA)

Simone went into detail about how the deal benefits the Heat.

“Miami would improve its short-term and long-term outlook. Pairing Kuzma next to Bam Adebayo in the frontcourt would make for a great duo, and the Heat could re-sign him after this year,” he wrote. “Morris isn’t quite as good as Lowry, but he’s much cheaper, and this trade would improve Miami’s depth. They would also get to have a nice reunion with Nunn, who played his best basketball with the Heat.”