Heat's 3 biggest needs ahead of trade deadline - Hot Hot Hoops

Miami Heat Trade What are the Miami Heat’s three-biggest needs ahead of the 2025-26 NBA Trade Deadline? (Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)

We are nearing the two-week mark ahead of the 2025-26 NBA Trade Deadline. The Miami Heat are currently 23-22 and in sole possession of the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. A lot can still happen between now and then. We know the Heat need a No. 1 scorer now that Jimmy Butler’s not in the fold. But what are some of their needs ahead of the deadline?! Let’s examine!

As the NBA trade deadline approaches and speculation ramps up around the league, many fans are also keeping an eye on the betting landscape. If you’re curious about how different platforms stack up, you can check out in-depth Roobet reviews here.

Backup big:

When the Miami Heat traded Kevin Love and Kyle Anderson for Norman Powell last summer, it made an already-thin frontcourt even thinner. You do that trade 11 out of 10 times for Powell, given the price tag. But the Heat still don’t have a reliable third big behind Kel’el Ware. Their best options are Nikola Jovic, who’s not a big, an undersized Keshad Johnson (he’s 6-foot-6) and rookie Vlad Goldin, who still isn’t ready for NBA competition.

Thus, the Heat should try and look to deal for a reliable — albeit cheap — backup center who can eat minutes when Bam Adebayo and/or Kel’el Ware aren’t on the floor. While the double-big minutes have been poor this season, if that’s the long-term goal, adding another to the mix to ease the pressure off both is ideal. The NBA is sizing up again. Miami should do the same.

3-point shooting:

One of my biggest concerns heading into the season was the Heat’s 3-point shooting — or lack thereof. So far, they have a top-12 3-point shooting team. However, they have the 12th fewest long-range attempts per game and the eighth-lowest 3-point rate.

Miami’s most reliable volume 3-point shooters are Tyler Herro — when he’s healthy — Andrew Wiggins and Norman Powell. Outside of that, Simone Fontecchio has been hit-and-miss after a hot 14-game start, and Nikola Jovic hasn’t found any sort of consistency. Jaime Jaquez Jr., Dru Smith and Pelle Larsson are all low-volume shooters who haven’t shot it particularly well.

The Heat doesn’t have a lot of volume 3-point shooting. The more they have, the easier life is for their best players — namely, Powell and Bam Adebayo, whose efficiency has taken a recent dip. You can’t have enough shooting in today’s NBA. And in this fast-paced, free-flowing offense, having at least one more volume shooter could go a long way offensively.

Lineup Clarity:

Miami has been ripe for a consolidation trade for the last half-decade.

First and foremost, they need a No. 1 now with Jimmy Butler no longer in the picture. But they also need to consolidate roles and have more lineup clarity.

Part of the reason why the roles have shape-shifted is due to injury. Erik Spoelstra has been one to test different combinations — at times, out of necessity — over the course of an 82-game season. But on a game-by-game basis, there isn’t much lineup — or role — clarity. And it’s hard to develop any sort of consistency when that’s the case.

Thus, it’s time for the Heat to consolidate, especially in their guard and wing room.

Heat’s 3 biggest needs ahead of trade deadline – Hot Hot Hoops

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