Getty Miami Heat stars Kyle Lowry, Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson look on following an OT loss to the LA Lakers.
If we know anything about Miami Heat president Pat Riley, it’s that he’s not afraid to rock the boat if it means improving his club’s ability to compete for a chip. He did it in 2004 when he dealt Caron Butler, Brian Grant and Lamar Odom for Shaq. He did it again six years later by bringing in LeBron James and Chris Bosh.
More recently, it was Jimmy Butler who was acquired to boost the Heat’s title bid.
And while the earlier moves resulted in championship gold, Butler and Co. are still looking to hoist their own trophy on behalf of South Beach. So, reports that ol’ Riles could be star-hunting once again this summer are wholly unsurprising. Fans should expect nothing less from the Hall of Famer.
To that end, one analyst is pitching a mega-deal to bring in one of the NBA‘s best wing creators.
Three-Team Trade Nets Zach LaVine
BasketballNews.com’s Evan Sidery examined the possibility that Bulls star Zach LaVine, who averaged 24.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 2021-22, could take his talents elsewhere this summer. The 27-year-old is slated to be an unrestricted free agent, but Chicago can offer him a bigger deal than any other team at five years and more than $212 million.
Nevertheless, there has been increasing noise that LaVine could consider a change. So, Sidery pitched the following the following trade to get the Bulls some compensation for the baller’s move to a contender:
- Chicago Bulls receive G/F Tyler Herro, F PJ Tucker
- Miami Heat receive G/F Zach LaVine
- Indiana Pacers receive G/F Duncan Robinson, 2023 first-round pick via Heat (lottery protected)
It’s not hard to envision the value LaVine would bring to Miami.
While the Heat entered the postseason as the East’s No. 1 seed and blitzed their way to a conference-finals Game 7, their offense left something to be desired along the way. With the NBA Finals still going, Miami ranks as the playoffs’ ninth-best offense after putting up 110.7 points per 100 possessions.
They were especially impotent from deep, ranking 13th out of 16 playoff teams with a three-point conversion rate of 31.3%.
Last season, LaVine flirted with the 40% mark from deep, and he’s also an incredible threat to get to the hoop and finish. He had a 70% conversion rate within three feet of the hoop in ’21-22. And he’s an underrated passer, too. In other words, he’d offer a level of offensive variety the Heat currently lack on the perimeter.
Miami clearly loses some big pieces in the deal, but Herro had a rough postseason, Robinson wasn’t a part of the playoff rotation and Tucker is 37.
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The Ability to Offer a Pick Is a Big Deal
Before February’s trade deadline, the Heat didn’t have the ability to move a first-round pick over the next two years due to the Stepien rule (their 2022 pick was owed to the Oklahoma City Thunder at the time). However, as part of the trade sending KZ Okpala to OKC, the conditions on the owed pick were changed in such a way as to return the 2022 selection to Miami.
It wasn’t a move that made headlines, especially during a year when Ben Simmons chatter dominated the presses, but it was a big one for Riley & Co. because, now, the team can legally trade their pick either this year or next.
In Sidery’s proposal, the 2023 pick was used to sweeten the pot for Indy and complete a huge move to bring in another All-Star. Even if LaVine isn’t really on the table for them, though, that flexibility to deal a first-rounder could be the difference-maker in an actual deal.
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