Well. The Miami Heat has a new star in Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Antetokounmpo may have just landed his newest sharpshooter in Klay Thompson. But that doesn’t mean their roster is suddenly finished.
Miami still needs someone who can get the offense organized and make plays with the ball in his hands. The Heat has some capable playmakers, but when it comes to categorizing pure table-setters, a legitimate argument can be made that the Heat lacks one entirely.
The Memphis Grizzlies have one in Scotty Pippen Jr., a former undrafted guard who has already shown he can go from fighting for an NBA roster spot to starting games.
Here’s a simple trade framework that could bring him to Miami.
Heat receives: Scotty Pippen Jr.
Grizzlies receive: Dru Smith and second round picks in 2027 and 2031
For Miami, moving on from Smith and surrendering two second round picks to acquire a 25-year-old point guard who has already proven he can run an offense is a bargain.
Why Pippen Makes Sense for the Miami Heat
GettySAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 15: Scotty Pippen Jr. #1 of the Memphis Grizzlies goes up for a shot against the Golden State Warriors of the NBA play-in tournament game at Chase Center on April 15, 2025 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
With the slashing Antetokounmpo needing a set up man, and with Thompson needing someone to feed him passes to the 3-point line off a screen, the Heat needs a floor general. Pippen is by no means a superstar, but he is among the best low-cost options out there for the Heat.
Pippen went undrafted in 2022 before signing with the Los Angeles Lakers on a two-way contract. He eventually landed with Memphis on another two-way deal, and that is where he began to truly come into his own.
After signing with the Grizzlies’ two-way team in January 2024, Pippen appeared in 21 games that season and started 16 of them. He averaged 12.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.7 steals while shooting 49.3 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from beyond the arc.
In October 2024, Memphis rewarded him with a four-year, $9.6 million standard NBA contract.
In the 2024-25 season, Pippen appeared in 79 games and made 21 starts for Memphis, averaging 9.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists. There was even a stretch where his production went well beyond what you would expect from a former two-way player. He rattled off 30 points, 10 assists and six rebounds against Chicago in November 2024. In the playoffs that season, his 30-point, 11-rebound performance against the eventual champion Oklahoma City Thunder showed he has all the tools to be a consistent starting-level point guard.
Pippen Could Thrive Next to Giannis
The Heat’s best player is going to attract an enormous amount of defensive attention. (After all he’s 6’11”, and they call him the Greek Freak.) Pippen can initiate the offense and generate opportunities, something the Heat’s current projected starting point guard, Davion Mitchell, doesn’t exactly do naturally. Mitchell is a defensive star.
Pippen is under contract through the 2026-27 season on a relatively inexpensive deal, with a team option for the final season, meaning Miami would therefore be betting on a player who has proven himself once.
The bottom line is that Pippen would give the Heat something it doesn’t have as presently constituted. Pippen is no Magic Johnson or Steph Curry, but he’ll rack up 14 points and eight assists per game if handed starting point guard duties.
Proposed Trade Gives Miami Heat 25-Yr-Old Rising Star PG to Pair With Giannis