After making the NBA Finals last year, ultimately falling to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Miami Heat entered the 2020-21 NBA season with a lot of expectations and have failed to meet any of them. They are currently below .500 at 11-15 and have a lot of work to do if they are going to make the playoffs this year!
Projections still have the Heat being a playoff team in the East this season, but if they continue to struggle and lose games they shouldn’t then they could end up with a first-round matchup against the 76ers, Nets or Bucks, which would not be ideal for the Heat.
With Jimmy Butler missing time due to injuries this season and COVID-19 affecting numerous Heat players, this team has hardly played at full strength, which is a direct reason why they have struggled this year. Getting this team back at 100% is the number one priority for the Heat right now, but it better be soon because they have no time to wait.
Even if they are at full strength, this Miami Heat team seems like they are missing something this year. They basically return their entire team from a year ago, minus Jae Crowder and Derrick Jones Jr, but outside of Butler and Adebayo, this team has struggled at times to find production.
Miami really needs that third, All-Star caliber talent to push them over the edge into title contention once again, which is why we could see Pat Riley and the Heat front-office be aggressive at the trade deadline this year. With numerous All-Star talents rumored to be available, the Heat could be very much in-play to pull off a blockbuster trade.
With that being said, let’s take a look at three blockbuster trades that the Heat should consider making as this year’s NBA trade deadline rapidly approaches.
