The Miami Heat fell just short of making the NBA Finals this season, as they lost to the Boston Celtics in seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals. Seeing how close they got, it would be fair for one to assume that they wouldn’t be looking to make any major changes this offseason.
However, with Pat Riley at the helm, you can never know for sure. He has shown in the past that he isn’t afraid to swing a big move if he believes it will get the team closer to winning a championship.
Miami is always a rumored destination for superstar players as a result and that has continued this offseason.
When Kevin Durant requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets, the Heat were one of two teams, along with the Phoenix Suns, that was on his list of preferred landing spots. But, he isn’t the only superstar player that the Heat are monitoring.
LATEST NBA NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: This Bold Trade Sends Utah Jazz Star Donovan Mitchell To Miami Heat
In a recent episode of the podcast Posted Up With Chris Haynes, it was revealed that the Heat are also monitoring the situation with Donovan Mitchell and the Utah Jazz. When Mitchell’s list of preferred landing spots was revealed during the season, the Heat was present there as well.
“You talk to people over there with the Utah Jazz… They said they’re keeping Donovan Mitchell, they’re building around him. But just talk to people outside of Utah Jazz, they’re not so sold on that. On that line of thinking, they do believe at some point Donovan Mitchell will be available. One team that I know that is monitoring Donovan Mitchell is the Miami Heat.”
Utah made one blockbuster trade already this offseason, sending Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a package that included five players and four draft picks. Three of those picks are unprotected while the fourth is only top-five protected. Before that, they traded Royce O’Neale to the Nets for a 2023 first-round pick.
LATEST NBA NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: This Bold Trade Sends Utah Jazz Star Donovan Mitchell To Miami Heat
From an outside perspective, those trades would seemingly indicate that the Jazz is ready to enter a rebuild. While they said they are going to retool the roster around Mitchell, there is no doubt they are going to take a step back before they head forward based on those deals.
Is that something Mitchell is willing to wait out? People around the league certainly don’t believe so, so it will be a situation to keep an eye on as another All-Star could very well be on the move in the coming weeks.
