NBA Trade Rumors: Should the Miami Heat pivot back to James Harden? If so, the two teams could find a path toward a deal.
Now that the dust has begun to settle after the absolute landmine that was the blockbuster Damian Lillard trade to the Milwaukee Bucks, it’s time for the Miami Heat to attempt to pick themselves off the mat. Even though that could be hard, the Heat were clearly one of the big losers during the offseason. Miami had two fairly good shots at landing a star during the offseason and missed out on both of them.
First, the Heat whiffed on Bradley Beal. The one that hurts the most, though, is the miss on Lillard. But even as the Heat continues to lick its wounds, I wouldn’t say the opportunity to improve their roster before the start of the season is completely over. There’s still one “star” that remains on the market and one that would be a “fit” on the Heat’s roster – James Harden.
The Miami Heat have at least expressed some interest in James Harden in the past
The Harden situation is a complicated one but I don’t think anyone anticipates he’ll ever play another game for the Sixers. He’s been available and the market for him has been rough. But after missing out on Lillard, you can’t help but wonder if the Heat would/should revisit the previous interest they had in the All-Star guard.
If the Heat want Harden, there’s clearly a path toward getting there. We explore three Heat offers that perhaps they should offer the Sixers for Harden.
An initial offer for James Harden
Assuming that the Heat would be open to the idea of taking on Harden, it may not be that difficult for the two teams to come to an agreement. In this first offer that Miami would be willing to offer the Sixers, the Heat would be taking on Harden and PJ Tucker as somewhat of a package deal. Tucker and Harden are close and it wouldn’t be that surprising if Philadelphia attempted to get out from the final year of Tucker’s contract if they could in the deal for Harden.
The Heat do have a need at the power forward position and Tucker embodies Heat culture. This is a move that may not be popular for Heat fans but getting two players that directly address the team’s biggest weaknesses (the point guard and power forward positions) can’t be viewed as a bad move.
Worth-case scenario, it doesn’t work out and the Heat is stuck with Tucker for one more season after this year and Harden comes off the books. In a way, this deal could be viewed as somewhat of a salary dump for both sides.
The Miami Heat sweetens the offer
Even though the Philadelphia 76ers probably won’t be negotiating with the Miami Heat from a place of leverage, there is a chance that the Sixers ask the Heat to up their offer. And after missing on two big stars earlier in the offseason, with a clear need to upgrade their roster, it wouldn’t be that surprising if the Heat obliged. In this deal, the Heat would be targeting James Harden alone. No PJ Tucker this time around. In exchange, Miami would still have a future first-round pick involved along with Jaime Jaques Jr. and the expiring contract of Kyle Lowry.
If the Sixers were offered such a deal, this is something they should accept and run. Effectively getting two first-round picks and still a playable point guard in Lowry, this may end up being as close to a best-case scenario that the Sixers may get in exchange for Harden.
There is plenty of disbelief that any deal for Harden will bring back this much return. However, the Heat are desperate and would need to sacrifice one of their young players. Miami seems to be more excited about Nikola Jovic’s potential at the moment, so they’d work to keep him out of this deal.
A trade that would clear the books as much as possible for the Miami Heat
If the Miami Heat got really desperate and they wanted to push through this trade, there is one option on the table. Miami could try to attach Tyler Herro in this deal to get out of his contract. I’m not sure if that’s something the Heat would want, but it may end up working. Along with Herro, the Sixers would get Jaime Jaquez Jr., Duncan Robinson, and two future picks (a first and second-rouder). In exchange, to make the money work, the Sixers would send James Harden and PJ Tucker to Miami.
The Heat could look at this deal two ways. For one, they get the immediate help of Harden and Tucker. Both are past their primes but they could still be valuable for what Miami needs as a contender heading into the season. Then you also have potential salary relief coming in the offseason if it doesn’t work out with Harden. Unloading both Herro’s and Robinson’s contracts could be valuable for the Heat in the long run.
In the end, I’m not sure the Heat would be willing to simply unload Herro. At this point, Miami might as well roll the dice with him heading into the season. But if they do have a change of philosophy, this is an intriguing deal that could come together fairly quickly.