The Miami Heat have started with a 4-4 record, and are in the 7th seed after struggling at the beginning of the season. Jimmy Butler lead them to the Finals last season but after their rough start, they could be looking for another high-caliber star to add to the roster.
Recently, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer has reported that the Miami Heat would be in the hunt for a superstar like James Harden or Bradley Beal. Adding a consistent scorer to a superstar in Jimmy Butler should put the Miami Heat as one of the favorites to make the Finals again.
Miami shouldn’t qualify as an under-the-radar team since it was involved in public trade reports for Harden, but it was frequently mentioned nonetheless. The Heat have cooled on those discussions in recent weeks, though they could put together an offer built around Tyler Herro. Following their Finals run, the Heat are off to a bumpy start, with a 4-4 record and the 23rd-ranked offensive rating. League sources expect Miami to remain in the race for either Harden or Beal.
The Miami Heat are obviously interested in competing now: they could trade young players to compete for a championship this season. There were some realistic trade packages being proposed, as listed down below.
A Solid Offer For James Harden
The potential James Harden trade offer was fairly realistic. It was mentioned that the Heat would have to give up 5 players to get James Harden, but that is a small price to pay for a player that is always in the running for the MVP award. James Harden in Miami could potentially make them a favorite in the Eastern Conference: Jimmy Butler and James Harden would be a solid wing duo.
Giving up Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, and Kendrick Nunn means losing a lot of their future prospects. But the Miami Heat are ready to compete now, and a move for an all-around superstar like James Harden could supercharge their offense and let them compete with teams like the Brooklyn Nets and the Milwaukee Bucks. James Harden’s playmaking would also help Bam Adebayo get easy shots at the rim.
Bradley Beal Could Be Traded Soon
Bradley Beal is stuck on a Washington Wizards team that is losing games despite him scoring upwards of 30.0 PPG. The Wizards have a losing record, and Russell Westbrook has had an awful start to the season. Everything that could have gone wrong ended up happening; Beal could request a trade to a contender, and the Miami Heat would be one of the top destinations.
The potential trade package for Bradley Beal was similar to the James Harden trade package, but without the inclusion of Kendrick Nunn. Bradley Beal isn’t quite as good a playmaker as James Harden, but they’re similar in terms of scoring. Bradley Beal is used to playing through double and triple teams as he is the main scoring option on the Washington Wizards. Imagine if he got to play with other scorers who took some of the attention off of him. On the Miami Heat, he could create a big three that would have the talent to win it all.
If the Miami Heat are looking to contend in Jimmy Butler’s remaining All-Star years, they could trade for another superstar to pair with him. While nothing concrete has happened yet, we can wait and see if they take a risk on winning it all.
