The Miami Heat have already made one of the summer’s loudest swings, but they may not be done reshaping the roster around Giannis Antetokounmpo.
After a disappointing season that ended without a trip out of the Play-In Tournament, Miami attacked the offseason early. The biggest headline came when the Heat landed the former Milwaukee Bucks superstar in a blockbuster trade.
“The Milwaukee Bucks are trading franchise icon Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to the Miami Heat for Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, three first-round picks (including No. 13 in Tuesday's NBA draft), one pick swap and one second-round pick, sources told ESPN,” ESPN’s Shams Charania wrote.
Miami also made a run at LeBron James, but that chase came up short. Since then, the Heat have turned their attention to adding shooting, with Klay Thompson emerging as the top target.
“They hope not. The Miami Heat's number one priority right now is to acquire shooting.
And they found their No. 1 target for that... Klay Thompson.
The problem is Klay Thompson has one year left on his Mavs contract so they're exploring whether they can trade for him, whether this could end up in a buyout, we'll see over the next several weeks,” Charania said.
Even with Thompson still in play, Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale floated another path for Miami: a sign-and-trade for Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden.
“If it's not going to be Cleveland, Miami immediately becomes the answer. The Heat need a primary playmaker after missing out on LeBron James more than the Cavs would without Harden.
Working out a sign-and-trade isn't that complicated. Miami still has a chunk of room beneath the first apron, and Andrew Wiggins, who remains tradeable after signing his extension, fills a need in Cleveland,” Favale wrote.
Harden would give Miami another high-level creator next to Antetokounmpo and open up the floor for the rest of the group. He would also likely have more room to operate offensively in Miami than he would in Cleveland alongside Donovan Mitchell.
In Other News...
Cavaliers Linked To Another Two-Way Wing In Huge Summer Test
Clevelands summer has already been defined by keeping Donovan Mitchell in place on a four-year extension, and the front office still looks like it is searching for ways to sharpen the roster around him. One proposed path comes from Bleacher Reports Greg Swartz, who floated a four-team deal that would send a young two-way wing to the Cavaliers through a sign-and-trade framework involving Denver, Detroit and the Clippers.
The appeal is obvious for a team that has spent the offseason balancing present contention with long-term flexibility. If the pieces were to line up, Cleveland could imagine a starting group with Mitchell, James Harden if he returns, the incoming wing, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, giving the Cavs another versatile defender and a little more size on the perimeter. For now, it remains one of those speculative summer ideas that says as much about Clevelands ambitions as it does about the market around it. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers May Finally Have An Answer For Their Biggest Depth Problem
The Cavaliers spent much of last season searching for stability behind their starters, cycling through 41 different lineups while a once-reliable bench punch slipped badly. Their second unit went from seventh in the league in scoring to 21st, and the loss of Ty Jerome left a hole they never really filled, which made every cold stretch feel bigger for a team trying to stay in the Eastern Conference mix.
Now the hope is less about a single veteran fix and more about internal growth from a young group that has a chance to change the math. Jaylon Tyson, Sam Merrill, NaeQwan Tomlin, Tyrese Proctor, Craig Porter Jr. and Meleek Thomas are all expected to matter more, and if even a couple of them take the kind of step Cleveland is banking on, the Cavaliers might finally have a bench that can hold its own instead of merely surviving until the stars return. [Read more 🡒]
Sixers Just Found Another Way To Stay Dangerous In The East
Philadelphia keeps finding ways to make the math work, and this latest move is another reminder that the front office is not just chasing talent but also protecting its options. By moving Johni Broome and a second-round pick for cash considerations, the Sixers cleared the kind of room they needed to stay nimble after already reshaping the roster around LeBron James, Jaylen Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
For a team trying to stack top-end talent without boxing itself in, the cap sheet matters almost as much as the names on it. Staying below the first apron gives Philadelphia a cleaner path to keep building, and the Broome deal also helped create the roster flexibility needed to bring Caldwell-Pope in officially, a small transaction on paper that could loom larger once the season starts to unfold. [Read more 🡒]