The Miami Heat haven’t been able to find much of a groove so far in the 2022-23 NBA season. Their January 20 loss to the Dallas Mavericks brought their record to 25-22, which has them tied with the New York Knicks for sixth in the Eastern Conference. Before getting blown out by the Mavs, the Heat had put together a promising stretch of basketball, winning 13 of their previous 19 games.
A consistent stretch like that is something that could possibly convince Pat Riley and the Miami front office to try and improve the roster.
According to NBA reporter Marc Stein, the Heat have already been trying to do so.
Stein reported that Miami has been working to deal Duncan Robinson “without success.”
It’s no surprise that teams aren’t looking to add the $90 million wing. His declining numbers don’t nearly justify his large paycheck.
The Heat signed Robinson to the five-year deal before last season. Up until that point he’d been a reliable 3-point shooter.
Since inking the big-deal, the 28-year-old’s production has plummeted. Plus, this year has been particularly bad for the Maine native. In 28 appearances for the Heat, Robinson has averaged 6.9 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists, while shooting just 36.8% from the field, and 33.1% from deep.
Heat Could Be In The Market for Jazz’s Malik Beasley
Robinson hasn’t been the only member of the Heat that’s struggled to shoot the ball this year. As a whole, Miami has taken a nosedive from beyond the arc, after leading the league in percentage last year. They rank 26th in the NBA for 3-point percentage at 33.7% this season.
According to an anonymous Eastern Conference executive via Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney, the front office is working to improve the team’s shooting.
“The Heat are looking to get bigger obviously but they’re looking to get better all over the roster,” one league source told Deveney. “They’re trying every angle. Their shooting has been a major disappointment, they need guys who can make shots there.”
One possible candidate discussed in Deveney’s January 21 article was Malik Beasley of the Utah Jazz.
“It is a thin market,” one Eastern Conference executive told Heavy Sports this week. “You are going to have to overpay because there are not a ton of guys you can go out and get. A guy like (Beasley), if you need shooting and you have a pick you can put in a trade, he is a guy you can get. The market for him could get overheated because he’s a wing. He is not a great defender but he is not a guy you need to take off the floor because of defense in the playoffs. If he gets hot, he can win you some games. A lot of playoff teams are trying to figure out what it is going to take to get him.”
Heat Could Reunite With Kelly Olynyk in Possible Trade
Beasley was not the only member of the Jazz that Deveney mentioned. He also discussed the Heat reuniting with former center Kelly Olynyk.
“Miami, which has set its potential trade net far and wide as the deadline nears, is among them, with a possible bigger deal that would send both Beasley and former Heat big guy Kelly Olynyk to Miami for a package built around Robinson, Caleb Martin and a combination of picks and young players (though Miami remains reluctant to put rookie Nikola Jokic in any deals, a stance that could change as the deadline approaches.)”
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Teams Continue to Reject Heat Trade Offers Surrounding $90M Wing: Report