Why The Miami Heat Do The Deal

The Miami Heat made a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals last season. This team is excellent: they don’t need Kevin Durant or Donovan Mitchell.

That’s not to say they wouldn’t want them – of course they would. Still, an upgrade on the margins ought to suffice for a team that was already a legitimate title contender in 2021-22. This deal definitely improves their roster.

After all, Kyle Lowry looked like a shell of his former self in the 2021-22 playoffs. At 36, who’s to say that won’t be his new baseline?

Of course, at 32, Hayward is no spring chicken himself. Still, the Heat can bank on him having a better season than Lowry next year. With Jimmy Butler at the 3, it’s hard to say exactly how Miami would use Hayward.

On the other hand, Lowry’s departure leaves a vacancy in the backcourt. The Heat could slide Tyler Herro into the starting lineup and use Hayward as a sixth man.

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In all likelihood, he’d have as good a chance as anyone of being named the league’s best in 2022-23. Having such a talented, multipositional reserve would surely aid Miami’s championship quest in 2022-23.