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If the goal of the NBA playoffs is simply to survive and advance, then there is no doubt the Miami Heat have gotten pretty good at that. They manage to survive their way into the playoffs last year, and somehow found a way to grind through the Eastern Conference and all the way to the NBA Finals in June. On Friday, facing a similar win-or-go-home situation in the play-in game, the Heat came up with a win over Chicago that gets them, again, the No. 8 seed in the East.
The task won’t be easy, with the No. 1 overall seed juggernaut Celtics up next. The Heat should never feel out of any playoff series, given their history, but they’re likely overmatched against Boston. And they’re overmatched when it comes to realistic chances to win the NBA championship.
That’s what this franchise is about. And so it is an interesting notion put forth by the folks at the offshore betting site Bovada this week, which has the Heat as one of the favorites to land an established championship player. But no, it is not the big-time scorer so many seem to feel the Heat are missing.
It’s Warriors defensive ace Draymond Green, possessor of four NBA championship rings from his productive and tumultuous career in the Bay Area.
Draymond Green Could Be Part of a Warriors Overhaul
Looking ahead to the offseason, the clear favorite to start the season with Green on the roster is the Warriors, who are expected to undergo some changes this year but are unlikely to go so far as to jettison a franchise cornerstone like Green. Golden State is minus-400 to have Green back in 2024-25.
But blowing up the roster around star Stephen Curry is an option, and if that is the case, then sending Green to his hometown Pistons is the second choice, at plus-1,000, which is the equivalent of about 10-to-1 odds. Next up, though is the Heat, at plus-1,400.
The Miami Heat are also listed as long shots to land Chris Paul (plus-1,200, No. 6 on the list) and Trae Young of the Hawks (plus-1,000, No. 5 on the list). Given the team’s need for scoring punch and point-guard depth, Paul and/or Young might make more sense than a push to bring Green to South Beach.
Miami Heat Trade Would Be a Good Fit
But there is some logic to a Heat-Warriors trade that winds up with Green joining Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler. That would be as tough and defensively imposing a trio as there is in the league, and would play with the kind of edge that an old-school NBAer like Pat Riley would appreciate. Green is probably the only guy in today’s NBA who still resembles the kind of player who used to suit up for Riley’s Heat in the 1990s.
He’s no offensive juggernaut, but Green is a very good facilitator in addition to his top-shelf defense. Green averaged 8.6 points last year, with 7.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists, making 39.5% of this 3-pointers.
He is in the second year of a four-year, $100 million contract with the Warriors and could be dealt pretty neatly in a straight deal for Terry Rozier. The Warriors do not necessarily want Rozier, but if the goal is to rebuild, his contract is a year shorter than Green’s and they could get a third team involved in the deal.
It’s a longshot, for sure. But if Green does get dealt from the Warriors, there’s good money the Heat could be involved.
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