Miami Heat
MIA gets: Kenneth Faried, Joffrey Lauvergne
DEN gets: Goran Dragic
Why would the Miami Heat trade away a point guard they sacrificed a crazy amount of future assets for and signed to a max contract extension?
Well, because he’s one of the few trade assets the Heat have as they enter into a rebuild (That’s not a part of this fantasy land we’re in right now, it’s real life).
Look, unless LeBron James takes his talents to South Beach again, this Heat squad is going to go from playoff squad to rebuild mode. They’re going to lose a lot of their bench this offseason, and potentially one of their longtime starters forever. They need to start looking ahead, even if they resign Wade and Whiteside.
By trading Dragic, Miami gets two young bigs, the latter of which no one knows about but is a stretch 5. You read that right.
With the Manimal (Kenneth Faried), you know what you’re getting – a shot blocking, high-flying, high energy ‘power forward’. Think young Birdman. Both animals on the boards.
Denver can move Mudiay to the 2, or continue to make trades (Wilson Chandler, Gallinari, etc.) to allow for their new acquisition in Dragic to get more playing time.
Next: Orlando Magic