As the Miami Heat continue to try and climb the Eastern Conference standings, many fans and analysts feel as if the team has room to grow before the February 9 NBA Trade Deadline. There has been plenty of speculation regarding the potential moves they’ll make, with an emphasis on upgrading the back-up center spot.
On January 15, the Atheltic’s James Edwards II reported that Miami was amongst the “most engaged teams” in trade talks surrounding Nerlens Noel of the Detroit Pistons.
“Per league sources, the teams most engaged in talks with the Pistons about Noel to date are the Miami Heat, Denver Nuggets and Dallas Mavericks,” Edwards wrote.
He explained that Noel and the Pistons had agreed that a trade would be best for both sides. However, that doesn’t mean that a deal is guaranteed.
“If a deal doesn’t materialize by then, per league sources, Noel, who has a team option for $9.6 million, isn’t looking to accept a buyout, he added.”
Noel, a former sixth overall pick, hasn’t played much for the Pistons this season, appearing in just 12 of the team’s 47 games so far, playing 11.8 minutes each time. He’s averaged 2.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game on 44.4% shooting from the field and 50% shooting from beyond the arc. If the Heat were to make a move for him, he likely wouldn’t cost much, and could hopefully be a serviceable back-up for Bam Adebayo.
So far this season, the Heat have relied on the combination of Dewayne Dedmon and rookie-center Orlando Robinson to lighten the workload on Adebayo. Dedmon has, quite frankly, been a disappointment and while Robinson has been mostly solid, he may not be ready to play significant minutes in the playoffs.
Dewayne Dedmon Can Officially Be Traded
It seems as if Dedmon may have worn out his welcome in Miami. He got into a heated exchange with Head Coach Erik Spoelstra during the team’s January 10 matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The two went back and forth on the bench before Dedmon slapped a massage therapy gun onto the court and got himself ejected from the game.
He hasn’t seen the court since, and the Heat have been rolling. They went on to polish off the win over the Thunder, then followed it up with back-to-back wins over the Milwaukee Bucks (without Giannis Antetokounmpo). On the season, Dedmon is a team-low -93 over the course of 29 games for the Heat. His 5.9 points and 3.7 rebounds per game aren’t exactly translating to wins.
The good news for Heat fans is that he officially became eligible to be traded on January 15, the day where 21 other players across the association did the same. That group is made up of players who signed a deal to stay with the same team and either got a 20% raise, signed for more than the minimum, or were resigned using bird-rights or early-bird-rights.
Miami Urged to Target Mo Bamba as Dewayne Dedmon Replacement
With Dedmon potentially on the way out, Mo Bamba could be a suitable replacement. That is, if you ask Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz.
In a recent article, Swartz listed a few players that each team should look to land ahead of next month’s trade deadline. One of the players that he suggested for the Heat was Bamba.
“The Heat should think big at first, looking for power forwards who can stretch the floor alongside Bam Adebayo and give this 24th-ranked offense a little more juice,” Swartz wrote.
Bamba signed a new two-year $20.6 million contract to stay in Orlando over the summer. He has appeared in 33 of the team’s 42 games and is playing 18.3 minutes. He’s averaging 7.7 points, 5 rebounds, and 1.1 assists on 49.2% shooting from the floor and 37% shooting from beyond the three-point arc.
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Heat ‘Most Engaged’ in Trade Talks for Former Top 10 Pick: Report