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With the Miami Heat sitting at 21-20 and in eighth place in the Eastern Conference, Miami fans are looking for the team to improve its roster ahead of the February 9 trade deadline.
To make those upgrades, the Heat could look to trade two of its veterans, Victor Oladipo and Dewayne Dedmon, according to “The HoopsHype Podcast” cohosts Michael Scotto and Yossi Gozlan.
“Oladipo is a logical trade candidate,” Gozlan said on the show’s January 5 episode. “He’s still working towards getting back to form, so any trade would have to put him in a good situation.”
Oladipo, 30, has played only 15 games for the Heat since making his season debut on December 5 after being out with a knee injury. He’s averaging 10.9 points per game, a career low. Dedmon, 33, is averaging 6.0 points and 3.7 rebounds in 11.9 minutes as a backup center.
“If there’s a team that I feel pretty good about doing something at the trade deadline, I think it’s the Heat, especially because a lot of things open up for them starting Jan. 15,” Gozlan said, referring to Oladipo’s two-year deal, which stipulates that he can’t be traded until the 15th. He also has a player option for 2023-24. Dedmon, meanwhile, is in the first year of a two-year contract, but the team has an out after this season.
Gozlan and Scotto suggested that Dedmon’s $4.7 million salary this season could give the team flexibility in matching salary in larger deal. However, the cohosts did not specify any trade targets in discussing Dedmon and Oladipo.
“Miami is a team rival executives are keeping an eye on to make a move given the team’s underwhelming start to the season,” Scotto said.
Proposed Heat Trade Would Swap Tyler Herro with 2-Time All-Star
Also on the January 5 episode, Scotto and Gozlan mentioned Tyler Herro as a trade chip in a less likely scenario. While listing possible landing spots for disgruntled Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine, they touched on South Beach.
“Miami’s best trade asset to dangle is Tyler Herro in a theoretical trade package,” Scotto said. “Overall, however, Chicago hasn’t shown a willingness to be a seller yet, with about a month until the trade deadline, while currently on the edge of competing for a back-end Play In spot.”
Other teams mentioned as potential suitors for LaVine were the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks.
In late December, the sports betting website Betonline.ag pegged the Heat as a likely landing spot for LaVine, according to Sports Illustrated’s Inside the Heat. The team had 7-to-2 odds to acquire LaVine, third best behind the New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors.
Heat Center Bam Adebayo’s Injury Revealed
During the Heat’s tough 102-101 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on January 8, Heat center Bam Adebayo played with an injured hand throughout the second half, according to Head Coach Erik Spoelstra.
During a media scrum, the 25-year-old was asked about his right hand, which he had in a wrap while in the locker room. He downplayed the possibility of any sort of extended absence, but said that the pain was “excruciating.”
The results of an MRI on Adebayo’s hand came back negative on January 9. He is listed as questionable with a right wrist contusion ahead of the game against the Thunder.
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