NBA Trade Rumors: Should the Miami Heat go all-in, target Kevin Love?

NBA Trade Rumors: Should the Miami Heat go all-in and target Kevin Love ahead of the trade deadline?

One of the biggest surprises of the season thus far has been the play of the Miami Heat, who are currently 19-7 and in second place, behind the Milwaukee Bucks, in the Eastern Conference standings.

Led by Jimmy Butler, who the team acquired from the Philadelphia 76ers in a sign-and-trade during the summer, and Bam Adebayo, who appears to be a lock to win the NBA’s Most Improved Player of the Year award, the Heat are one of five teams in the league that carry a top 10 offense and defense. They also sport the league’s seventh-best net rating (5.0).

Miami only has one “bad” loss on the season, losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and three of their losses have come on “scheduled losses” – games on the second night of a back-to-back.

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Perhaps what has been most impressive is the fact that they’re doing all this while Justise Winslow, who many assumed would be a key cog for the team this season, has missed more than half the team’s games this season (due to injury). He’s only played in 10 of the team’s 26 games. The same could be said of Goran Dragic, the team’s super sixth man, who has missed six games so far this season.

Nevertheless, the team’s “no excuse” and “next man up” attitude, which is perfectly aligned with Butler’s, has paid off this season with the likes of Kendrick Nunn, Duncan Robinson, Tyler Herro, Derrick Jones Jr., and Chris Silva all playing vital roles to the team’s success so far this season. Heck, you can make the argument that Nunn should be in the top 5 of NBA Rookie of the Year voting.

Through roughly one-third of the 2019-20 NBA season, it’s safe to say that the Heat will be a factor come playoff time in the Eastern Conference. They’re on pace to win 50-plus games this season and to secure homecourt in, at least, one playoff series.

However, even with this extremely impressive start, not many would consider the Heat a “contender” to win the East, much less have a realistic shot to win the NBA Finals.

Miami is a fun, exciting team but I have a hard time believing that the Heat would be a favorite come playoff time against the likes of the Philadelphia 76ers, Bucks or even a team like the Boston Celtics, who have been extremely impressive in their own right.

If the Heat wants to change that, you’d almost assume that they’d have to make a move at the NBA Trade Deadline, and a pretty significant one too.

One interesting name that could check all boxes in terms of the Heat adding a star, one that still has something left in the tank and one that would move the needle nationally would be Kevin Love.

Interestingly enough, Love is also a player that is quite clearly on the trade block. The Cleveland Cavaliers have done little to hide that fact over the last few weeks. He’s also a player to could be acquired without “breaking the bank.”

The big question is, should the Heat make such a move?

The answer to that is not exactly simple. For one, they’d likely have to part ways with Justise Winslow and a first-round pick (to start). That could be enough value, and then the team would just need to match salary.

However, the Heat needs to ask themselves if they’ll willing to part ways with Winslow. And secondly, they have to ask themselves if adding Love would make this team a true contender. Because they’d lose cap flexibility due to Love’s contract (he’s due $90 million over the next three years).

The Heat wouldn’t be in position (without a major trade) to make a huge trade during the summer of 2021. That could be a deal-breaker, especially if Pat Riley doesn’t believe a core of Butler, Love, and Bam isn’t enough to win the championship.

Those are two big questions that could suggest that perhaps the Miami Heat shouldn’t be all-in on this season in the context of trading for Kevin Love. Question is, what will the Heat decide to do when push comes to shove?