The Miami Heat deserves applause for the offseason it has put together. And don’t look now … because the Heat isn’t done just yet.
The Heat has one more roster open roster spot and could make a move for another free agent. Miami could also finalize its current roster for the upcoming season. The team recently signed veteran big man Nick Richards, addressing one of the final one two holes on the roster. There is still, however, a need for playmaking on the roster. To cover that need, the most likely option on the open market may be former Heat guard Gabe Vincent.
As for 3-point shooting, all the questions can be put to bed now. The Heat has added three elite shooters this offseason, including Bobby Portis, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Klay Thompson. But what if Miami wanted to go a step further to assemble arguably the collection of wing perimeter shooters in the NBA?
Could the Miami Heat Trade Nikola Jovic to Bring Back a Familiar Face?
Vincent isn’t the only former Heat who makes sense for the team right now. One player many Heat fans would love to have back is veteran sharpshooter Duncan Robinson, who spent last season burying 3-pointers for the East-leading Detroit Pistons after spending the first six years of his career in Miami.
With Jovic and Robinson sharing nearly identical salaries for next season, here’s a potential trade the Heat and Pistons could make to benefit one another.
Heat receives: Duncan Robinson
Pistons receive: Nikola Jovic and a 2031 second round pick
In this hypothetical trade, the Heat would welcome back Robinson, one of the league’s perimeter long-distance shooters while waving goodbye to Jovic, the 23-year-old who was handed a four-year rookie-scale extension less than a year ago.
There’s a good chance the Heat finish as the top 3-point shooting team in the league next season if it adds Robinson, who has sunk 1,398 3-pointers during his career and has shot 39.9 percent from beyond the arc in his seven seasons.
Last season, Robinson had one of his best seasons as a pro, averaging 12.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 45.6 percent from the field and 41 percent from deep on seven attempts per game.
Would Detroit Pull the Trigger?
Jovic hasn’t generated much trade interest this offseason, perhaps partly because the Heat hasn’t shown willingness to move the 23-year-old, who remains one of the few remaining young players on the roster after the trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo took away the rest.
But if the Pistons, who could use some help in the frontcourt, are willing to bank on Jovic’s potential, they could make this trade, especially after acquiring Isaiah Joe, an elite shooter who could replace Robinson, from the Oklahoma City Thunder.
As for the Heat, which has been somewhat reluctant to involve Jovic in trade talks, team insider Ira Winderman noted that Miami would move the Serbian star if the right deal came along.
“I see this all as a work in progress. Remember, Myron Gardner only has a partial guarantee, so there remains a means to bring in two additional players for the start of the season, with a buyout market that might not be done yet, with the Aug. 29 “stretch” deadline looming,” Winderman wrote in a subscriber-only Q&A. “And, yes, do not rule out trades. The Heat can express all the hope they want with Nikola Jovic, but if the right deal comes along for the right player, this will all be about go-time.”
Jovic showed flashes of stardom in the 2024-25 season, his third in the NBA, where he averaged nearly 11 points per game and shot over 37 percent from the 3-point line.
If the Heat tried hard enough to trade Jovic, surely a team would take a chance on the young forward.
Miami Heat Proposed to Trade Nikola Jovic to Reunite With 41% 3-Point Sniper