The Miami Heat fell just short of the NBA Finals in this year’s postseason. They lost Game 7 to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals despite having the home-court advantage for the matchup.
Now, instead of facing off against the Golden State Warriors for the Larry O’Brien trophy, they will be starting up their offseason preparations. This is a roster that could look a little different next season, as Pat Riley is never afraid to shake things up if it means getting the franchise closer to winning a championship.
There have been some rumors floating that they could look to swing a blockbuster, bringing another All-Star to South Beach. Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz and Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards have been mentioned most prominently. A package of Duncan Robinson, Tyler Herro and draft compensation is what they are armed with.
According to Sean Deveny of Heavy.com, one Eastern Conference executive believes the Miami Heat will target the defensive-minded point guard this offseason.
“The Heat would love to get Patrick Beverley,” the exec said. “The Timberwolves, obviously, they love what he brought last year, but if they could sell high, they might be willing to give him up. They have a new regime [ex-Nuggets president Tim Connelly] there, so they can look at things a little more realistically.”
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Beverley would certainly fit into the culture that the Heat have developed and live by. He is a hard-nosed defender that isn’t afraid to mix it up with any opponent. The Heat’s physical style of basketball would be something Beverley would embrace.
But, it is hard to imagine that Minnesota would be looking to move the player that has become their emotional leader. He was a big reason they turned things around this season, earning a playoff berth after winning 46 games in the regular season. Beverley averaged 9.2 points and a career-high 4.6 assists per game.
A one-year extension worth $13 million was signed by Patrick Beverley, which shows that they do like him. There is a new front office in place, but would they want to mess with something that was working so well and risk knocking the team off course?
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D’Angelo Russell has also been mentioned in trade rumors and out of the two-point guards, he seems to be the likelier one of the move. The only snag is that his contract is worth more than double Beverley’s, so working out a trade package will require a little more work.
