The Miami Heat have quietly been surging in the standings, and they are solidly in the Eastern Conference playoffs race. While being in the playoffs is nice, the Miami Heat had higher aspirations for the season. After getting to the NBA Finals last season and tasting a bitter loss, the Miami Heat want to win a championship this season. So far, they’ve been good, but they were mired with inconsistency.
Perhaps a way they could fulfill their aspirations for a championship is by adding star players to the roster. There have been multiple examples in recent memory where a team managed to win a title after trading for a star player, and the Miami Heat could do the same. There are two players we will talk about that can help the Miami Heat create a superteam: Bradley Beal and LaMarcus Aldridge. Here is how the Miami Heat can land both of them.
LaMarcus Aldridge Would Be A Great Veteran
LaMarcus Aldridge would be a great player to acquire: he is a solid floor spacer and a positive on the defensive end. His floor spacing will be important around a superstar like Jimmy Butler, who isn’t the best jump shooter, only shooting 22.0% from beyond the arc this season. LaMarcus Aldridge wouldn’t be asked to carry the load on offense like he was earlier in his career, and he could be very effective in his role around other All-Star caliber players.
While LaMarcus Aldridge hasn’t had a huge usage rate in the offense for the San Antonio Spurs this season, part of it is due to the emergence of their young players, such as Dejounte Murray. However, during the 2019-20 season, LaMarcus Aldridge had a very productive year, averaging 18.9 PPG, 7.4 RPG, and 1.6 BPG. LaMarcus Aldridge could still contribute to a contending roster, even at this stage of his career.
LaMarcus Aldridge could be acquired via buyout, due to his age and contract status. It is quite possible that the San Antonio Spurs do not find a trade partner prior to the deadline, leading to the aforementioned buyout of his contract. In that case, he would be free to join any team in the league, and the Miami Heat is as good a destination as any. On the Heat, Aldridge would become the starting power forward, bringing his two-way presence to the roster.
Miami Heat Could Free Bradley Beal
While Aldridge could make his way over to Miami via buyout, Bradley Beal would be a more difficult player to get. Bradley Beal is a top-tier shooting guard in the league and is currently having a monster individual season, averaging 32.5 PPG, 5.2 RPG, and 4.6 APG. Bradley Beal is currently leading the league in scoring, and it is unlikely that the Washington Wizards would let him go for anything other than a monster trade package. Here is what a potential trade package could look like.
Miami Heat Receive: Bradley Beal
Washington Wizards Receive: Tyler Herro, Kendrick Nunn, Precious Achiuwa, KZ Okpala, Kelly Olynyk
With this trade, the Miami Heat would receive a lot of the Miami Heat’s exciting prospects. Tyler Herro and Kendrick Nunn are both guards who can score the ball well. Their shot creation would be solid and would allow the Washington Wizards Precious Achiuwa was their 2020 draft pick: he is a solid rebounder who hustles hard on the defensive end. KZ Okpala is an extremely raw prospect, yet he could develop into a solid role player. Kelly Olynyk is there for salary matching, as he is on an expiring contract. This would allow the Washington Wizards to send Bradley Beal to a contender, while also netting them a solid amount of future prospects.
Bradley Beal going to the Miami Heat would give them an electric scorer and would take a lot of the scoring load off of Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler. Adding the leading scorer in the league to your roster is never going to be a bad bet, especially a multifaceted scorer like Beal. Bradley Beal knows how to play off of superstars, while also being able to get his own buckets when need be. The Miami Heat were rumored to be in the running for James Harden before he got traded to the Brooklyn Nets. Bradley Beal could be the next best player that they could acquire, and he could be the missing piece for the Miami Heat.
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