The Miami Heat have already spent the offseason reshaping their roster around Giannis Antetokounmpo, but one more move could still be on the table. In a proposed trade, Miami would send Nikola Jovic and a 2030 first-round pick to the Portland Trail Blazers for Shaedon Sharpe, giving Pat Riley another shot at adding scoring to the backcourt.
Jovic, Miami’s first-round pick in 2022, signed a four-year rookie contract extension worth $62.4 million before last season. Riley was clearly high on him at the time, but the fit has cooled. Jovic was barely part of the closing stretch of the regular season, appearing in just eight games after January, and the Heat may now be willing to move him if it helps them keep building around their new core.
The proposed deal would send Jovic and the pick to Portland, where the Trail Blazers are dealing with a crowded backcourt. Damian Lillard is expected back after missing all of last season with an injury, Jrue Holiday is in place, Scoot Henderson showed some improvement after two uneven seasons, and Portland also added Ja Morant this offseason in a trade. With so many guards in the mix, Sharpe could become the odd man out.
Sharpe, 23, has been a productive piece for Portland since being drafted in 2022, but availability has been the issue. He has topped 70 games only twice in four seasons, and last year he played in 50 games because of a fibula injury. Portland gave him a four-year, $90 million extension right before last season, but the injury concerns could make him movable if the return is right.
For Miami, Sharpe would fill a clear need. Davion Mitchell and Pelle Larsson are currently projected as starters in the backcourt, and neither brings the kind of scoring punch Sharpe does.
He is coming off a season in which he averaged 20.8 points, and the Heat would be betting that his offense can help balance out a roster now centered on Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo. The 2030 first-round pick would hurt to give up, but if Miami’s new pairing hits, that selection may not carry much weight by then.
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