The Miami Heat have already spent the offseason making one seismic move after another, but they may not be done reshaping the roster around Giannis Antetokounmpo.
One possible next step would send Nikola Jovic out of Miami in exchange for Indiana forward Obi Toppin, a deal built around fit, salary, and the Heat’s push to load up for a championship run. In the proposed swap, the Pacers would receive Jovic and a 2027 second-round draft pick.
Jovic, Miami’s first-round pick in 2022, signed a four-year rookie extension worth $62.4 million before last season. Pat Riley liked his long-term upside, but the Heat may already be second-guessing that commitment after Jovic faded badly down the stretch, playing in only eight games after January.
The money on Jovic’s deal makes him a realistic trade piece, though Miami might have to add draft compensation to complete a move. Toppin is one of the names that could fit that kind of framework. He is set to earn guaranteed money for the next two seasons, and Indiana could decide to move him rather than keep waiting for him to settle back in after a season in which he appeared in just 24 games.
For Miami, the appeal is straightforward. Toppin gives the Heat another versatile scorer behind Antetokounmpo, and he could help cover multiple spots in the rotation.
Even with Bobby Portis added in the blockbuster deal, Toppin would give the Heat another option at power forward, while Portis could still slide into a backup center role. Toppin also has the flexibility to play small forward, which makes him a clean fit for a win-now roster.
The bigger picture in Miami has already changed dramatically. The Heat landed Antetokounmpo in one of the biggest blockbuster deals of the decade, but the price was steep.
Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kasparas Jakucionis all went out in the trade, while Portis came back to Miami in the same deal. The Heat also lost Norman Powell to the Chicago Bulls in free agency, then added Tim Hardaway Jr. on a one-year deal and brought back Simone Fontecchio for another season.
Indiana, meanwhile, is coming off a rough year after Tyrese Haliburton missed the entire campaign with a torn Achilles suffered in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Pacers had been one of the league’s biggest surprises before that, but last season sent them in another direction. They still made a deadline push, acquiring Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac and sending out Benedict Mathurin and Isaiah Jackson, even while sitting near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
That leaves Toppin as a possible piece the Pacers could move, and Jovic’s age and contract control could appeal to them if they decide to reset around a younger timeline.
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Miami is among the clubs being mentioned as a possible landing spot if Russell becomes available, which is the kind of connection that naturally gets attention around here. The Heat have spent years valuing guards who can organize an offense and keep things moving, so a player with Russells experience would make sense on paper, even if the final decision ends up hinging on how his situation in Memphis resolves. [Read more 🡒]