Getty Fred VanVleet of the Toronto Raptors. VanVleet was recently tied to the Miami Heat.
The Miami Heat have found their footing over the last month and a half. Their January 24 win over the Boston Celtics marked their 15th in their last 22 games. Miami now sits in sixth place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 27-22.
The team’s recent surge may have done enough to convince Pat Riley and the front office that the roster is worth improving ahead of the February 9 NBA Trade Deadline. Though the team has pieced together a stretch of winning basketball, there’s no doubt that there’s still room for improvement.
If Miami does look to make a deal, one player to keep an eye on is Fred VanVleet of the Toronto Raptors.
In a January 25 article for Bleacher Report, Eric Pincus included the Heat on a list of teams that would be interested in the former NBA champion, should the Raptors decide to move him.
“Fred VanVleet is nearly 29 and in the final year of his contract (he has a $22.8 million option for 2023-24 that many in the industry expect him to decline). Either the Raptors and VanVleet will extend their marriage, or the team will look to get value for him in a trade before the deadline,” Pincus wrote. “If it’s the latter, several playoff contenders (at least teams that consider themselves playoff contenders) would have interest, such as the Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns and Washington Wizards. So, too, would the Orlando Magic, per multiple NBA sources.”
VanVleet is having a bit of a down year for the Raptors. He’s appeared in 40 of their 49 games, playing 36.7 minutes each time. The 6-foot 1-inch guard averages 19.1 points, 6.3 assists, and 4.3 rebounds, while shooting 38.9% from the field and 34.1% from deep.
Miami Heat Expected To ‘Express Interest’ In Josh Hart
Another rumored Miami trade target is Josh Hart of the Portland Trailblazers.
Zach Lowe was joined by Bobby Marks of ESPN on the January 24 edition of the “Lowe Post Podcast,” Lowe hinted at the possibility of Miami making a trade for Hart.
“Josh Hart is a name that is very, very hot right now. A lot of teams would like Josh Hart,” he said. “I think Miami will probably express some interest in Josh Hart. He’s a Heat guy. Heat kinda guy.”
Hart has appeared in 45 of Portland’s 47 games this season, playing 34 minutes each time. He’s averaging 9.6 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 4.1 assists, on 50.3% shooting from the field 33% from beyond the arc.
Clippers Interested in Heat’s Kyle Lowry: Report
If the Heat decide that they want to be sellers rather than buyers at the deadline, then their plans could be centered around a different former Raptors guard, Kyle Lowry.
Lowry has been a player whose name has been included in all sorts of rumors this season. Most recently, The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor reported that the Los Angeles Clippers are interested in trading for the aging guard.
“League sources say the Clippers are also interested in Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet,” he said. “Lowry makes $28.3 million, and his decline with the Heat has been even more apparent this season than (Mike) Conley’s dip with the Jazz. Conley ranks 84th in our Top 100 NBA Player Rankings, while Lowry fell out entirely in the most recent update.”