Getty Omer Yurtseven of the Miami Heat battles for a loose ball during a game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Due to their lack of tradeable assets and a prohibitive cap situation, the Miami Heat could be one of the quieter teams in the NBA at the trade deadline. That’s not to say, though, that team president Pat Riley is content to rest on his laurels.
With the Heat bearing the look of a title contender at the top of the Eastern Conference, Riley and Co. will undoubtedly explore every avenue in an attempt to shore up the roster for the stretch run.
To that end, Hornets forward PJ Washington was just linked to the team as a trade target. And, as reported by Heavy.com’s Steve Bulpett, Charlotte looks to be open to dealing the former No. 12 overall pick.
If the Heat truly have their sights set on Washington, here’s one deal that could bring his talents to South Beach.
Heat Cash in on Yurtseven in Potential Deal
While Mason Plumlee is doing his damndest to hold down the paint for the Hornets, the team could definitely use another big man to help shoulder the load. As it happens, Miami has a high-upside center on its roster who isn’t currently getting minutes from Erik Spoelstra.
So, in an effort to get the Heat a high-level frontcourt player with shooting ability (who still has some upside to boot), we’re pitching the following trade:
- Chalotte Hornets receive: C Omer Yurtseven, F KZ Okpala and F Markieff Morris
- Miami Heat receive: F PJ Washington and F JT Thor
With this trade, the Heat would likely be getting a motivated player in Washington. A source close to the situation tells Heavy.com: “He has pretty much done everything [the Hornets] have asked of him. If he needs to go somewhere else to thrive, that is OK, he will do that.”
For his career, Washington has put up 11.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per contest. This season, though, his minutes and usage rate are way down. Nevertheless, he has been more efficient as a shooter/scorer than ever before. He’s currently connecting on 39.9% of his 4.7 three-point attempts per game.
Washington could really soar as part of a three-big rotation with Bam Adebayo and PJ Tucker.
Meanwhile, the Okpala-Thor swap brings the Heat a prospect with big-time potential defensively while parting with another who has yet to make headway in Miami and is likely on the trading block. Morris, who may not play again this season, has been included for salary-matching purposes.
An added bonus in the deal: the Heat open up a roster spot for a buyout guy or the conversion of Caleb Martin’s two-way deal to a standard NBA contract.
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Parting with Yurtseven would be tough to do for the Heat. When he has been given opportunities by Spoelstra, the rookie has responded with solid play on both ends. To get a player of Washington’s ilk, however, there’s a price that must be paid.
The 13.6 points, 13.9 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game the 23-year-old has averaged in 10 spot starts this season is exactly the kind of production Charlotte could use in its frontcourt. As for Okpala, he would be an upside play who may be closer to contributing for the Hornets right now than Thor was.
If they get anything out of Morris, it’s a big-time bonus.
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