NBA Trades: The Miami Heat reenter contenders status with James Harden in proposed deal.
It’s been a rough offseason for the Miami Heat, and that’s putting it lightly. Miami had the opportunity to drastically improve their roster not once, but twice this summer via trade. On both occasions, first for Bradley Beal and then Damian Lillard most recently, the Heat fell short.
To add injury to insult, Miami’s two major Eastern Conference rivals, the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks, made big moves to drastically improve their rosters themselves. That leaves the Heat in a difficult situation heading into the start of the season.
But there is one other disgruntled start whose situation remains unsettled – James Harden. Would the Heat pursue a deal for Harden remains to be seen, though there is some doubt. That said, there could be a path to an agreement for the two teams.
When discussing the trade market, or the lack of one, that revolves around Harden, NBA insider Chris Mannix proposed a hypothetical idea in which the Sixers trade their disgruntled All-Star guard to Miami in exchange for Kyle Lowry and a future first-round pick.
A James Harden trade that could make sense for the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers
However, to make the money work, the Heat would have to throw in another contract or the two sides could negotiate to get to a deal that resembles something similar to this:
The Sixers would get Harden off their team, add a quality veteran point guard in Kyle Lowry, and a future first-round draft pick. They’d also get one of the best 3-point shooters in the league that could be helpful this season in Duncan Robinson.
Miami would get a one-year rental of Harden and P.J. Tucker who embodies Heat culture.
The question is, would this be something the Heat would entertain? Is this something they should entertain? We break it all down.
Should the Miami Heat explore this specific deal?
Let’s dig into this deal a bit more from the Miami Heat’s perspective. We’re not talking from a basketball perspective just yet. From a theoretical standpoint, would the Heat be willing to explore such a deal? Let’s start with the personnel that Miami would have to part ways with to make this work. First, I think it’s become pretty evident that Kyle Lowry’s role with the Heat has diminished. At this point, it would not be a huge surprise if Lowry was traded at some point this season.
The big question is whether the Heat would want to part ways with Duncan Robinson. And I don’t think it’s as simple as some believe. Basically, Miami could look at it this way, they’d essentially be attaching a future draft pick to Robinson’s contract in order to get out from under it. Even if the Heat would acquire Harden, I have a hard time believing it’ll come with a contract extension.
This deal would essentially be this: one year of Harden and P.J. Tucker for an expiring contract, Robinson, and a future draft pick.
That’s the way the Heat would need to look at this trade. Quite frankly, if they want to factor in the Eastern Conference at all, it’s something Miami would at least have to consider.
Would the Philadelphia 76ers make this trade?
Even if the Miami Heat got to a point where they’d be open to such a deal, we’d have to question whether this is something the Philadelphia 76ers would even want to do. I think the question ultimately comes down to this – how desperate are the Sixers to trade James Harden? Are they desperate enough that it doesn’t matter where they trade him? Would they be willing to trade Harden to an Eastern Conference rival?
Essentially, the Sixers would be helping the Heat (possibly) get back to a point where they can contend again while they take a step back in the East. I’m not sure that’s something the Sixers can live with. I think logistically, Philadelphia would much rather trade Harden to a Western Conference team, but what if there’s no market to make such a deal?
Does that truly open the door for a team like the Heat to jump through the door? It’s a conversation that the Sixers need to have within their front office. But there’s no question it would be a tough pill to swallow. Not only for the front office but also for the fan base and the locker room.
Would the Miami Heat be contenders with James Harden?
Here’s the big question that this proposed deal comes down to – would the Miami Heat be contenders if they made such a deal? Let’s hypothetically say both the Heat and Sixers agree to this deal, it would leave Miami with such a potential rotation:
PG – James Harden/Dru Smith
SG – Tyler Herro/Josh Richardson
SF – Jimmy Butler/Caleb Martin
PF – P.J. Tucker/Nikola Jovic/Jaime Jaquez Jr.
C – Bam Adebayo/Kevin Love/Thomas Bryant
On paper, that’s a pretty good rotation. Whether or not they could be championship-good depends on what Harden the Heat would be getting this season. And considering Harden would be playing for a new contract, there’s reason to believe that it could end up working out.
What you have to like most about a potential Harden fit with the Heat is that he wouldn’t have to be the closer for the team. That’s Jimmy Butler’s job. One of Harden’s biggest knocks is his struggles to close games in the playoffs. That’s kind of Jimmy’s strength.
I’m not sure if the Heat would be on the same level as the Bucks or Celtics after their respective moves this offseason, but this is a deal that the team may have to explore if it’s available.