Getty Stanley Johnson #14 of the Los Angeles Lakers and Dorian Finney-Smith #10 of the Dallas Mavericks fight for position
It hasn’t been a great start to the 2022-23 NBA season for the Miami Heat. Their record currently sits at 2-5, and they have struggled in multiple areas this season. A lot of the speculation about where they could improve has been placed on the power forward position, where they made Caleb Martin the starter after the departure of PJ Tucker in free agency this offseason. Martin hasn’t been awful but hasn’t been special either. One NBA executive told Heavy Sports that the problem for the Heat is depth rather than power forward, and they could be looking to upgrade there rather than only looking for another big man.
“They have other needs, too. Everybody assumes they’re worried about the power forward spot, but they’re worried about the depth overall, too. It is something that they can address later in the year if they decide they don’t like what they have,” an Eastern Conference Executive told Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney.
Heat Named ‘Best Landing Spot’ for Stanley Johnson
In an October 28 column written by Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus, he ranked the best landing spots for a number of free agents that remain available as November approaches, and one of the players linked to the Miami Heat was former top ten draft pick, Stanley Johnson. The 26-year-old wing player was most recently with the Los Angeles Lakers last season and proved he deserved a spot on an NBA roster while averaging 6.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists for the Lakers. Johnson was dealt to the Utah Jazz as part of the trade to acquire Patrick Beverley, and Utah didn’t have the roster space to keep Johnson. The Lakers would be interested in him but cannot sign him outright after recently trading him.
Pincus linked Johnson to a player that could find a home in South Beach because of he is a ‘defensive wing’ that could help bolster the team’s second unit. Johnson, in his career, averages nearly a steal per game and is an excellent option to defend the opposing team’s best player. The Heat are currently strapped financially, operating extremely close to the luxury tax so it’s unlikely they make a move in free agency. However, if they are able to get rid of a contract like Duncan Robinson’s or continue to struggle maybe a player like Johnson would be worth the money.
Heat also Linked to Free Agent Carmelo Anthony
Stanley Johnson wasn’t the only player that the Heat were linked to in the piece from Bleacher Report. Carmelo Anthony was another name that was mentioned as a player that South Beach would be a top landing spot for.
“In the meantime, how about the Miami Heat? The franchise has an open roster spot and potential minutes for a power forward. Unfortunately for Anthony, the Heat are just a hair below the NBA’s $150.3 million luxury-tax threshold. The team may shy away from pushing its payroll into the tax,” Pincus wrote in his October 28 column for Bleacher Report.