With the trade deadline two months out, the Miami Heat seem like they might be a move or two away from being real threats to come out of the Eastern Conference. They have an impressive 14-8 record — good for the No. 4 seed in the conference — as well as a new-look offense that has given them some new life.
If the Heat really want to swing for the fences, perhaps they’ll test the waters on Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo if he becomes available. However, former NBA star floor general Gilbert Arenas argued that nobody around the NBA wants to trade with the Heat because nobody wants their players.
“Can you Google this real quick ’cause somebody said I hate Miami,” Arenas began. “Can you — ’cause nobody wants Miami players — can you name the best Miami player that’s went somewhere else in the last five years? Is it Jimmy Butler? Who’s second? ‘Cause Jimmy’s — we know his resume.”
Arenas indicated that there aren’t many examples in recent years of the Heat developing players who have gone on to flourish elsewhere.
“Nobody wants to trade with Miami, man,” he said. “Nobody wants those things down there, man. You got nothing. You gonna trade me some sand? Wet Willie’s coupon? ‘Cause nobody want the players. I’m sorry.”
It’s true that there’s been a pattern in recent years where players with Miami change teams and all of a sudden maybe aren’t as effective as they once were.
Some recent examples of that phenomenon include guard Gabe Vincent and forward Caleb Martin. Vincent was once a highly effective backcourt piece for the Heat. His playoff run with Miami in 2023 was some of the best basketball of his career, as he averaged 12.7 points, 3.5 assists and 1.4 rebounds per game.
In Los Angeles, he hasn’t been quite as impactful. Across 93 regular-season games as a Laker thus far, he’s shooting just 38.4 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from 3-point range. Moreover, injuries have been a major issue for Vincent in his Lakers tenure, as he’s played in only 10 games so far this season and was limited to 11 in the 2023-24 season.
Martin, meanwhile, looks like a shell of the two-way player he was with the Heat earlier in the decade. He’s spent this season as a fringe rotation player for a Dallas Mavericks team that’s one of the worst in the league, and he’s averaging just 1.2 points per game across 20 appearances.
If Arenas is right, it may be harder for the Heat to make a move or two before the deadline. It would be tough to envision them advancing deep into the 2026 NBA Playoffs without a little bit of outside help, as they have some room for improvement still.