Does this trade make sense for the Miami Heat?
In a perfect world for Pat Riley, the Miami Heat are able to not only acquire Damian Lillard or Kawhi Leonard this offseason, but they are also able to retain Duncan Robinson, Kendrick Nunn and Trevor Ariza. Well, this is far from a perfect world and the Heat could wind up not getting Lillard or Leonard this offseason!
If this is the case, Miami could turn their attention to other All-Star talents like DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, but if they strike out on all of these guys, then getting Lauri Markkanen is not a bad thing at all for the Heat. He has the ability to stretch the floor and knock down shots from the perimeter at a high rate, as well as help Bam Adebayo on the interior as a rebounder.
Overall, getting Lauri Markkanen and a 2024 first-round pick from the Bulls is not bad value for Kendrick Nunn, but being tied down to a three or four year deal with Markkanen may not be the best thing for them.
Miami is all about going “all-in” for championships and while Lauri Markkanen can be a great secondary talent, he is not the guy that will make all the difference for the Heat and help elevate them to the NBA Finals. This team was just contending for a championship last year, so they are not far away from potentially winning a championship, but they need another star player next to Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.
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Lauri Markkanen is not this kind of player, which is why the Heat should stay away from this sign-and-trade. If they can get immediate value from the Bulls, then trading Kendrick Nunn in a sign-and-trade scenario could make a lot of sense, but tying themselves down financially to Markkanen long-term and no real difference on their team does not make much sense.
Right now, there is a strong sense that Kendrick Nunn could be on his way out in Miami and they could look to leverage him in a deal for an established star, but the Bulls really do not have anything of interest to offer the Heat for him. Keep an eye on other teams in rumors linked to Nunn as NBA free agency approaches.
