Getty President Pat Riley of the Miami Heat addresses the media during the introductory press conference for Jimmy Butler
It hasn’t been the season that any Miami Heat fans have expected this year. After being a game away from the NBA Finals last season, they ran it back with a similar roster, and that continuity was supposed to be beneficial for the Heat. However, the team has struggled this season and is currently in 10th place in the Eastern Conference. They lost PJ Tucker to free agency this offseason, and he was important, but injuries have also hammered them. Has the team missed their window with this core? Charles Barkley suggested they have and should begin a rebuild on the recent episode of Inside the NBA.
“It might be time to break the team up and start over,” Barkley said. “They got some contracts that’s like … they’re no good. So, they need to start over. That’s my personal opinion, it’s like, hey, trade some of these guys to contenders or teams that [can] get us some young guys and start over.”
Heat Linked to New York Knicks All-Star in Trade Talks
The Heat aren’t the only team that hasn’t lived up to expectations. The New York Knicks have also struggled out of the gate this year. So much so that Dan Favale of Bleacher Report wrote a column proposing trades that could save the Knicks’ season, and one of the deals included the Miami Heat.
Miami Heat Receive: Svi Mykhailiuk, Julius Randle, Detroit’s 2024 second-round pick
New York Knicks Receive: Dewayne Dedmon, Caleb Martin, Duncan Robinson
The Heat have been rumored to be seeking a trade partner since the early offseason and never got anything done. A big part of what has held the team back is that they are unwilling to trade Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler. Duncan Robinson’s contract has been called the ‘worst‘ in the league and it’s hard to imagine another team trading for it. Tyler Herro is ineligible to be traded following the monster extension he signed just before the season. Caleb Martin and Dewayne Dedmon, who both resigned this offseason, will soon be eligible again to be dealt. Based on their contract Martin is eligible to be dealt after December 15, and Dedmon can’t be traded until January 15.
Why New York Makes This Deal
So while this deal is unlikely to get done immediately, it does have some potential upside for each side of the deal. Randle’s contract in New York became an almost instant regret as an overpayment after the Knicks made the playoffs. It hasn’t worked out since, and the deal finds a way for the team to part from him. They also get back a younger versatile power forward that could slide into Randle’s role at a value contract. Getting Randle off of their books is almost worth taking on Robinson with the idea of flipping him to another team in need of streaky shooters.
Would Miami Make This Deal?
In all honesty, after hearing talks all summer long about the Heat landing a whale this offseason, followed by a disappointing start to this season, coming away from that and the transaction fans have been waiting on is Julius Randle? That’s certainly underwhelming.
In the same right as New York, they would free themselves from Robinson’s contract. However, they also lose a developing versatile big man in Martin. Randle and Adebayo could make an intriguing pair. But if you consider the two most inconsistent big men in the Eastern Conference, Bam Adebayo and Julius Randle would both be at the top of your list. Night in and night out, you have no idea what kind of contribution you may get from them, and it makes this trade one that the Heat should likely pass up.