The Miami Heat missed on LeBron James, but the offseason is hardly over. With James set to join the Philadelphia 76ers and finish his career there, Miami has to keep building around Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo, and that means finding the right depth pieces through trades.
That task comes with some real financial limits. The Heat already made one of the biggest moves of the decade by landing Antetokounmpo in a blockbuster deal with the Milwaukee Bucks, sending Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kasparas Jakucionis the other way.
They also watched Norman Powell leave for the Chicago Bulls in free agency. On top of that, Miami has added Tim Hardaway Jr. on a one-year deal, brought back Simone Fontecchio and created a little more flexibility by extending Andrew Wiggins, which shaved $9 million off his player option for the upcoming season.
If the Heat are going to make another meaningful move, Nikola Jovic looks like the most obvious outgoing piece. He signed an extension before last season, and his cap hit sits at $16.2 million. With that in mind, here are three trade targets Miami could chase.
Moses Moody of the Golden State Warriors fits the kind of swing Miami should be taking. He’s 24, already carved out a real role in Golden State and just posted his best season, averaging 12.1 points while shooting 40.1 percent from three.
The Warriors are an older group, so there’s a reason they might want to keep a young rotation player like Moody. Still, if Miami offered Jovic plus a future first-round pick, that would be a tough package to ignore.
Reed Sheppard is another name that makes sense if the Heat are willing to attach a future first-rounder with Jovic. Houston’s backcourt is crowded, and the Rockets appear to have their development priorities pointed elsewhere, including Amen Thompson.
Fred VanVleet is also set to return this season, which only tightens the minutes picture. For Miami, the appeal is straightforward: land a young guard with upside and still keep the door open to add a valuable unprotected pick, even with the Heat projected to sit high in the Eastern Conference.
Then there’s Sam Hauser, who has become one of Boston’s most dependable shooters. The 28-year-old broke through in 2023 as a real weapon from deep and has stayed steady ever since on a Celtics team that keeps contending.
He’s under contract through his age-31 season, and that kind of long-term shooting help would make sense for Miami. In financial terms, he’d be a younger, more controllable Duncan Robinson.
In Other News...
Heat Fans May Hate What A Klay Thompson Deal Could Cost
The Heat have been linked to Klay Thompson for a while, and the latest chatter suggests Dallas could be open to moving the veteran sharpshooter as he enters the final year of his deal. On Miamis side, Nikola Jovic has become the most obvious piece to make the money work, especially after he recently signed a new extension and continued to look like a young forward with traits that fit what the Mavericks tend to value.
What makes this idea uncomfortable for Heat fans is the cost beyond just giving up a promising rotation piece. Jovics contract is close enough to Thompsons salary to make a swap plausible, but Miami may need to add more to get Dallas to bite, which is where the real tension starts. The Heat like Thompsons shooting and experience, yet any deal built around Jovic would force them to decide how much long-term upside they are willing to sacrifice for a short-term upgrade. [Read more 🡒]
Heat May Have A Costly Answer To Their Shooting Problem
Miamis search for more perimeter shooting has kept the front office busy, and one idea floating around would address that need while also giving another team a financial incentive to listen. ESPN Radio host Evan Cohen raised the possibility of the Heat exploring a deal that would help Denver trim its luxury-tax bill, a type of move that has become increasingly relevant for contenders trying to balance roster upgrades with the new apron realities.
The appeal for Miami is obvious: adding a proven floor-spacer would give the offense another reliable option on the wing, especially with the club still weighing bigger-picture answers to its shooting issue. The challenge is just as clear, though, because any real movement would have to line up with Denvers roster math and willingness to part with a useful piece, and for now this remains speculation rather than a confirmed negotiation. [Read more 🡒]
Heat Embarrassment Over LeBron To Sixers Finally Makes Sense
A long-ago Heat digital blunder is making the rounds again, and it still lands as one of those only-in-Miami moments from the LeBron James era. The team accidentally posted an invite to a LeBron introductory press conference on its YouTube page, a mistake that turned into an awkward footnote in the franchises history and, years later, a reminder of how quickly a small front-office slip can become a big talking point.
What makes the episode linger is how little fallout there appears to have been from it. LeBron James and his agent Rich Paul reportedly found it amusing, there is no public evidence anyone was fired over the error, and Miami had even listed a Director of YouTube Strategy opening before the incident. In other words, the embarrassment said as much about the Heats digital operation as it did about the frenzy surrounding James at the time. [Read more 🡒]