The Miami Heat had a wonderful 2021-22 season, advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they lost to the Boston Celtics in seven games. This offseason, they will look to tweak their roster enough to get over the hump and get back into the NBA Finals, where they reached during the 2020 Orlando Bubble.
Pat Riley has never shied away from shaking things up and making a big move if he felt it would help get the team closer to contention. This offseason, there are a few people that think the Heat could swing for the fences and bring in another All-Star to improve the roster.
Miami has been linked to some big names already this offseason, including Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz, Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards and Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets. While the Heat could put together a competitive deal to land any of those players, they could aim a little lower on the trade market and retain some of their assets.
Over at Sportsnaut, they predicted that the Heat would acquire Kyle Kuzma from the Wizards this offseason. Kuzma would come at a considerably cheaper price than his teammate Beal and would fill a potentially massive hole in their rotation.
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P.J. Tucker opted out of his contract last week, electing to become a free agent. He has already been linked to the Philadelphia 76ers, who are going to reportedly offer him a three-year contract worth $30 million.
Losing Tucker would be a big blow for the Heat, as he is an integral part of their defensive scheme and helps space the floor offensively. While Kuzma isn’t on the same level as Tucker as a defender, he has improved steadily throughout his career and would provide more of a scoring punch for the frontcourt.
The proposed trade at Sportsnaut would be Kuzma heading to South Beach in exchange for Duncan Robinson and a first-round pick. Robinson was removed from the Heat’s starting lineup near the end of the regular season and fell out of the rotation altogether during the postseason.
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Moving on from him and adding a player of Kyle Kuzma’s caliber would be a huge win for the Heat, who are looking to contend even if they are unable to retain Tucker. Kuzma is signed to an affordable $13 million per season deal that runs through 2024, but the 2023-24 season is a player option, which he could decline to make more money in free agency a year earlier.
