After finishing the 2021-22 regular season at the top of the East with a 53-29 record, the Miami Heat could not return to the NBA Finals. The Heat were just one shot away from winning the conference title, but Jimmy Butler’s 3-pointer was just off against the Boston Celtics in Game 7.
Fast forward to the 2022-23 season, and things have been far from perfect for the Heat. Miami is just 22-20 and eighth in the East after a historic win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, currently in the play-in tournament zone as the offense struggles. With the season reaching its halfway mark, time is running out for the Heat to make changes. The trade deadline is less than a month away (Feb. 9), so the organization should already be scouting the market to find some good names for the right price and help Miami turn its season around.
With that being said, here is the biggest need the Miami Heat must address at the 2023 NBA trade deadline.
Miami Heat’s biggest need: more efficient scorers
It is no secret that the Heat have multiple stars who can score 20-plus every night. Jimmy Butler is putting up 22.1 points and shooting above 50% from the field. Bam Adebayo is averaging nearly a 20-10 double-double, hitting 53.8% of his field goals. In his first season as a full-time starter, Tyler Herro is recording 21.2 points and shooting just below 40% from the 3-point line.
While the trio is giving some spark, Miami as a team is struggling on offense. The Heat are currently averaging 108.8 points per game, the lowest mark in the league. It also has one of the slowest paces in the NBA, having just 97.1 possessions per 48 minutes.
The efficiency is also not the best. Despite having Herro and Duncan Robinson, Miami ranks 25th in 3-point percentage, making only 33.9% of its attempts from beyond the arc. The team overall ranks just 24th in offensive rating.
To make matters worse, the Heat are dealing with multiple injuries this season. Butler has already missed more than 10 games due to a sore knee. Without its leading scorer, Miami lost seven games this year. If the team is already having multiple problems on offense, seeing Butler on the sidelines is often not promising.
Because of that, if Miami really wants to return to the NBA Finals, the front office needs to address its problems on offense. The team should go after another solid scorer who could either bring a spark off the bench or even join the starting lineup.
Some options that could work for the Heat would be bringing another guard in exchange for Kyle Lowry. The veteran is averaging just 13.1 points a contest, his lowest in nearly a decade. Additionally, he is making less than 40% of his field goals. Another thing Miami should consider moving is Robinson. His role has significantly diminished this season, and he’s scoring just 6.9 points on 37-33-91 efficiency.
An intriguing name for the team is D’Angelo Russell. The guard has been in multiple trade rumors due to the Minnesota Timberwolves’ disappointing season so far. Still, he is averaging 17.1 points with shooting splits of 46-35-86. Since he has an expiring contract, Miami could acquire him for a lower price.
Another name that could work is Gary Trent Jr. with the Toronto Raptors are currently out of the play-in tournament zone. He puts up 18.5 points per game and hits 36.7% of his 3-pointers.
As the season progresses, the Heat should keep an eye on teams that are underperforming. From there, Miami can find some good offensive options for a lower price than usual. Should the front office complete a trade, the Heat’s offense could improve, and the team could go back to the top of the standings.
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