The big splash this summer was definitely the Miami Heat landing Giannis Antetokounmpo, but now there’s one need staring right back at them. Getting Giannis cost them Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel’el Ware, and Kasparas Jakucionis, and Norman Powell walked in free agency on top of that. That’s a lot of perimeter scoring and shooting gone from a team that’s about to build its whole identity around Giannis and Bam Adebayo.
The Tim Hardaway Jr. addition helps. He’s coming to South Bay on a one-year deal after he shot 40.7% from three on 6.9 attempts a night last season, but he’s also 34, and Miami probably still needs another guy who can just fire off six, seven, eight threes a game without hesitating.
The Heat are reportedly still keen on Klay Thompson, but the Mavericks don’t seem inclined to grant him a buyout anytime soon, and Bradley Beal went back to the Clippers. So instead, I think Grayson Allen fits that exact role.
The Trade Idea
Miami Heat Receive: Grayson Allen
Charlotte Hornets Receive: Nikola Jovic
Simple trade, and honestly, that’s what makes it work. Allen’s set to make $18.1 million in 2026-27, Jovic $16.2 million in year one of his four-year, $62.4 million extension, so Miami’s only really taking on about $1.9 million extra. No need to sweeten it with extra assets.
I wouldn’t attach a first-round pick here either. Allen’s 30, played just 51 games last season, and carries a $19.4 million player option for 2027-28. Jovic’s 23 and under contract through 2030. Charlotte’s already getting the younger player with the longer runway, so Jovic by himself should be plenty to get this conversation started.
Why the Heat Should Do It
Allen had a strange 2025-26. His role blew up, but his shooting cratered along with it: 16.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.4 steals a night on 40.3% shooting overall and just 34.9% from three. Career highs in points and assists, sure, but 34.9% from deep obviously isn’t what you’re trading for.
The good news is he’s got a much bigger sample size than that one bad year suggests. He’s a 40.3% career three-point shooter, led the entire NBA at 46.1% in 2023-24, then followed it with 42.6% in 2024-25. Last season was just a down year shooting-wise, but the league still knows he’s one of the best three-point shooters in the world.
His volume also spiked hard from the year before: 8.9 threes a game in 2025-26, up from 5.5 the year prior, and he was asked to create a lot more offense on top of it. None of that would fall on him in Miami, since Giannis and Bam are already going to eat up most of the touches.
That’s really what makes the fit so clean. Giannis is going to hammer the paint over and over, and defenses have to help. So if Allen’s sitting on the wing or in the corner, his defender is stuck choosing between helping off Giannis or leaving a career 40.3% shooter wide open. Bad choice either way.
A lineup of Davion Mitchell, Allen, Andrew Wiggins, Giannis, and Adebayo actually makes a lot of sense offensively. Mitchell guards point guards, Wiggins takes wings, Giannis does the heavy scoring, Bam handles the screening, passing, and defense. Allen’s whole job is basically making room for everyone else.
Hardaway makes it even better, because Spoelstra could realistically keep one of the two on the floor at almost all times. Hardaway finished last year at 13.5 points a game on 40.7% from three, so Miami could roll out two high-volume shooters around Giannis and Bam depending on the lineup. That beats asking Giannis to attack a packed paint on every single possession.
Jovic still has real talent, but last year was ugly across the board at 7.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists on 36.6% shooting and only 26.9% from three. He shot 37.1% from deep the year before that, so I don’t buy that he’s actually a 26.9% shooter long-term. But Miami isn’t in the mood to wait around to find out anymore.
They gave up a massive package for Giannis because they want to win now. Once a team makes that kind of move, fit matters more than betting on a young guy possibly figuring it out three years down the line. Allen helps Giannis and Bam win games in 2026-27. That’s enough for me.
Why the Hornets Could Accept
Charlotte only just got Allen this offseason, so flipping him again wouldn’t be some seismic shift in plans. He arrived along with Royce O’Neale and a 2033 first-round pick in the Miles Bridges deal, which already told you this front office is comfortable moving pieces around after the huge LaMelo Ball trade.
The Hornets are also already stacked at the backcourt. Coby White’s there, Kon Knueppel’s a big piece of the future, Dennis Schroder just joined the team, and Sion James still needs development reps. Allen helps that group, no doubt, but there’s enough depth on the perimeter that trading one of those pieces for a young forward makes sense.
Jovic gives Charlotte something different. He’s 6-foot-10, 23 years old, capable at both forward spots. He can handle it a little, push in transition, and shoot when his jumper’s clicking. Last season was bad for him, but Charlotte has a lot more patience than Miami does right now to find out whether he bounces back.
The contract shape lines up too. Jovic’s locked in for four years, while Allen could walk after just one more season if he passes on his 2027-28 option. Turning a 30-year-old veteran into a 23-year-old forward under team control through 2030 is exactly the kind of bet a team like Charlotte should like.
Final Take
If I’m Miami, I make this trade. Allen just fits the roster better right now than what they’ve got. The obvious risk is that he shot only 34.9% from three last year and missed 31 games, but his career body of work says a lot more about who he actually is.
Miami doesn’t need him to get all the way back to 46.1%, either. Something around 39-40% on high volume already opens up a ton of driving and cutting room for Giannis and Bam inside. That alone could be the difference between an easy and a difficult half-court possession come playoff time.
Jovic might end up being the better player down the road, and that’s the exact bet Charlotte would be making by taking this deal. Miami shouldn’t lose much sleep over that; they already committed to their timeline the moment they traded for Giannis. Right now, Allen gives them the shooting, the volume, and the fit they actually need.
