The Miami Heat are expected to be a busy team this offseason as Pat Riley looks to make moves to get them back into NBA Finals contention. After making it to the NBA Finals last season, the Heat failed to get out of the first round of the playoffs this year. Now, it appears that Boston Celtics star point guard Kemba Walker could be a piece the franchise considers pursuing via trade.
According to a report from David Aldridge of The Athletic, the Heat make sense as a potential trade partner for the Celtics for Walker.
“Miami, same thing, makes sense. [Goran] Dragic is on his way out. They’ll probably re-sign him for short money. But they need a point guard long-term, and Kemba’s pretty good. So, there’s suitors. There’s teams where it makes sense to go get Kemba Walker.”
Walker would be a very intriguing addition for the Heat, who swung and missed on a big trade at the deadline with the Houston Rockets for Victor Oladipo. They want another offensive weapon who can create his own shot and also make plays for teammates. If that is truly what they’re still looking for, Walker would make a ton of sense.
During the 2020-21 NBA season with the Celtics, Walker ended up averaging 19.3 points per game to go along with 4.9 assists and 4.0 rebounds. He shot 42 percent from the floor overall and knocked down 36 percent of his three-point attempts.
Obviously, the shooting percentages are not ideal for a player of Walker’s caliber. However, he simply did not fit very well with the Celtics. A change of scenery to a franchise like the Heat could help him turn things back around.
Miami would also be forming a “Big Three” with Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Kemba Walker. If all of them can stay healthy, they could be a very dangerous trio. The Heat are all about star power and this would be a move to get them more star power to play with their current core.
Expect to continue hearing a ton of rumors about Walker in the coming weeks. The Celtics seem motivated to move him this offseason. Don’t be surprised if the Heat engage in discussions with Boston early on this offseason.
