The Miami Heat fell just short of their pursuit to play for the Larry O’Brien Trophy again this NBA season, as they were defeated by the Boston Celtics in seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals. To get over that hump, the Heat will have to make some moves in the offseason.
Thus far they have been relatively quiet. They lost P.J. Tucker to the Philadelphia 76ers, which will hurt. However, they were able to bring back Caleb Martin, Victor Oladipo and Dewayne Dedmond to help fill out the rotation.
That means Miami has yet to bring in a player from outside the roster this offseason. Pat Riley always has something up his sleeve and he could be waiting to make a blockbuster trade. Miami has been linked to superstars such as Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets and Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz.
In fact, the Heat actually pursued a trade for Mitchell before they completed their big trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves centered around Rudy Gobert.
According to Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune, Miami made an offer but it didn’t meet what Utah was looking for.
“According to a league source, one offer came from Miami even before the Gobert trade was finalized. The Jazz, though, found that offer insufficient. In addition, Miami’s win-now roster has limited picks and young players to trade.”
LATEST NBA NEWS AND RUMORS: This Bold Trade Sends Utah Jazz Star Donovan Mitchell To Miami Heat
Based on what kind of assets the Heat have to offer, it was likely a trade package built around Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro with some first-round draft picks included. After securing five players and four draft picks from Minnesota in exchange for Gobert, the asking price for Mitchell will be astronomical.
The Heat is going to struggle competing with the offers other teams can make as they only have three picks that they can trade. Unless they are willing to include Bam Adebayo as part of the trade package, the players they are willing to move don’t compensate for the lack of draft capital that is being offered.
LATEST NBA NEWS AND RUMORS: This Bold Trade Sends Utah Jazz Star Donovan Mitchell To Miami Heat
But, Riley and the front office aren’t going to quit. They will continue searching out ways to upgrade the roster and whenever a star player becomes available, they are a team to watch. They have shown in the past they are willing to go all-in for a player if it means getting closer to winning another championship.
