The Miami Heat may already look dangerous on paper, but that hasn’t stopped the rumor mill from circling three more names that could change the shape of the roster. With ESPN projecting Miami to finish seventh in the East with 47 wins, and with guard depth behind Davion Mitchell still in question, the Heat have been tied to another wave of potential upgrades.
Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald pointed to three former All-Star guards as possible fits: Kyrie Irving, Zach LaVine and Jrue Holiday. As Jackson wrote:
“ But that could change at February’s trade deadline. It could change next summer, if a former All-Star past his prime decides to sign with the Heat for the full nontaxpayer midlevel exception, a mechanism Miami has preserved for the 2027 offseason.
Three former All-Star guards who have been a source of speculation - Kyrie Irving, Zach LaVine, and Jrue Holiday - would all boost the Heat’s title hopes. But it’s difficult to see a path for Miami to acquire Irving and Holiday.”
That’s the key tension here. Miami can dream on the names, but the path to landing them varies wildly. Some routes are cleaner than others, and one of them stands out as the most realistic.
A deal for Kyrie Irving would be the biggest swing. In the proposed framework, Miami would get Irving and Marcus Sasser, while Dallas would receive Andrew Wiggins, Nikola Jovic and a 2029 first-round pick. The Mavericks are expected to build around Irving and Cooper Flagg, but reports suggest they could pivot if things go sideways before the deadline, which opens the door for Miami.
The money is the first hurdle. To absorb Irving’s $39.4 million cap hit, the Heat would need to send out Wiggins, who is at $30.0 million, and Jovic at $16.2 million. Because Dallas might not want to take on nearly $6.8 million in extra salary, Sasser’s $5.1 million contract is included to help balance things out.
If Miami could pull it off, Irving would give them exactly what they lack: a high-end shot creator who can tilt a game on his own. He averaged 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists last season, and the fit would be obvious in a rotation that needs more offense.
Jrue Holiday is another intriguing name, even if the fit comes through a different door. In this scenario, Miami would land Holiday, while Portland would get Wiggins, Tim Hardaway Jr. and a 2032 first-round pick swap. The Blazers’ crowded guard group could make Holiday available, and the Heat would have a cleaner salary path than they would with Irving.
Holiday’s $34.8 million salary can be covered by sending out Wiggins’ $30.0 million deal and Hardaway Jr.’s $6.0 million contract, along with the pick swap. That move would also trim $1.2 million from Miami’s books, giving the team room to add two more players on veteran minimums and finish out a 15-man roster.
On the court, Holiday would bring a different kind of value. He averaged 16.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.0 steals per game last season, and his championship experience is part of the appeal. The source also notes his chemistry with Giannis Antetokounmpo as a major factor in winning games.
Still, Zach LaVine looks like the most attainable target of the three. If Miami wants the likeliest deal, this is the one. In the proposed trade, the Heat would get LaVine, while Sacramento would receive Wiggins, Jovic, Simone Fontecchio and a 2032 first-round pick swap.
LaVine’s name has been in trade chatter all summer, and that matters here. The Kings may be open to moving him, and Miami’s need for another scoring punch is obvious. Last season, LaVine posted 19.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game while shooting 47.9% from the field and 39.0% from three-point range.
The financial mechanics are tight. LaVine’s $48.9 million salary would force Miami to send out $48.6 million in combined salary through Wiggins, Jovic and Fontecchio. That would leave the Heat $2.1 million below the first apron and require them to fill three roster spots with minimum contracts.
That kind of move comes with a cost. Miami would be giving up an elite defender in Wiggins, and the source notes that could hurt the team’s standing as a contender. But it would also clear a significant amount of money for next summer, which could give the Heat a much cleaner path to a bigger free-agent move.
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