The Miami Heat’s search for another backcourt weapon has led them to a familiar kind of gamble.
With trade talks for Kyrie Irving apparently going nowhere because Dallas does not plan to move him this season, Miami may have to look elsewhere for scoring help. One option now on the radar is free agent guard Kevin Porter Jr., whom NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer reported this week the Heat are interested in.
That pursuit fits the way Miami’s season has unfolded so far. The Heat came into the year with plenty of buzz after an active offseason, but the start has been uneven.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo have shown noticeable chemistry problems, and Miami has also dropped close games against opponents it should have handled. Even so, the group has started to steady itself a bit, winning three of its last five.
Still, the front office appears to be keeping an eye on ways to add another dynamic guard. Irving was said to be the top target, but once Dallas made its stance clear, Miami’s attention could shift to the free agent market. Porter is one of the names in that conversation.
Porter, 26, has had a career full of talent, turbulence and second chances. He arrived at USC as a five-star recruit and played one college season in 2018, though that year was interrupted when coach Andy Enfield suspended him indefinitely for “personal conduct issues.” He returned for the final couple of games before entering the draft, where Cleveland took him with the last pick of the first round in 2019.
His first NBA stop did not produce much on the court, and before his second season he was charged with improper handling of a firearm in a vehicle. Cleveland moved on, trading him to Houston, where Porter got a bigger role and emerged as one of the Rockets’ top scorers.
Houston later gave him a four-year, $82.5 million extension in 2022, even as more off-court trouble followed, including multiple altercations with teammates and coaches. In 2023, he was charged with domestic violence and then traded to Oklahoma City, which waived him immediately.
More recently, Porter has tried to rebuild his standing. Last season with Milwaukee, he posted some of the best numbers of his career, averaging 17.4 points, 7.4 assists and 5.2 rebounds in 38 games. He was waived before this season began, and now Miami could be willing to take a swing if it wants another scorer to pair in the backcourt with Davion Mitchell.
In Other News...
Heat Trade Idea Targets Miamis Biggest Problem Around Giannis
The first stretch of the season has only sharpened the sense that Miami still has a roster imbalance to solve, especially when the offense bogs down and the team has to manufacture points without a true engine. Andrew Wiggins has not looked like a seamless fit, and the bigger issue around him is the same one that has lingered for the Heat: they need a natural scorer and playmaker who can steady possessions and make life easier for everyone else.
That is why the idea of chasing a bigger name keeps surfacing, even if nothing official is happening yet. One proposed answer is James Harden from Cleveland, a move that would instantly change Miamis shot creation and late-game options, but it would also be the kind of swing that forces the Heat to decide how far they are willing to go to fix the problem around Giannis. [Read more 🡒]
Heat-Jazz Suddenly Comes Down To One Huge Pre-Game Uncertainty
The pregame injury report has turned a routine Heat-Jazz matchup into a much different kind of watch item, with Giannis Antetokounmpo listed as probable despite a right wrist sprain. Miami will also see a Jazz team that is already shorthanded in a few places, with Keyonte George ruled out because of a right ankle sprain and Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jusuf Nurkic both confirmed out.
Lauri Markkanens status is the biggest variable on Utahs side, since he is questionable with a right wrist sprain and the Jazz are already missing three other players because of G League two-way designations. For the Heat, it leaves the focus on availability as much as execution, because the shape of the game could look very different depending on whether Markkanen is able to go. [Read more 🡒]
Udonis Haslem Just Called Out A Troubling Heat Problem
The Heats 4-6 start has already turned the early part of the season into a reality check, even with Giannis Antetokounmpo now in the mix. For a team that built its identity on discipline, effort and defensive edge, the first stretch has raised familiar questions about whether Miami is matching its own standard, and Udonis Haslem did not sound interested in soft-pedaling the issue.
Haslem pointed directly at the defense and the need for full buy-in to the Heats demanding system, a familiar refrain in Miami but one that carries extra weight when the results are uneven. He also touched on Bam Adebayos approach, suggesting the big man should stay with his own game instead of trying to mirror anyone else, a reminder that the Heats fix may be as much about clarity of roles as it is about talent. [Read more 🡒]