Heat could circle back to All-Star trade target?

The Miami Heat may be getting another spin of the wheel.

Brian Windhorst of ESPN revealed on the latest episode of “The Hoop Collective” podcast that the Heat are among the teams expected to be potential suitors in a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers for Donovan Mitchell. The New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets were two others mentioned by Windhorst as possible Mitchell destinations.

Both the Knicks and Nets are expected names for Mitchell, a native of the Bronx. But Miami is where things get especially interesting. Though they were unfortunate in that they whiffed on big trade targets like Bradley Beal and Damian Lillard, neither of those players is performing quite up to snuff yet with their respective new teams (especially Beal who has missed all but six games this season with various injuries). 

As a result, Miami got to keep all of their best trade assets and can now target a younger, higher-upside player like Mitchell (whom they were already interested in before he was dealt to Cleveland). Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry, and Duncan Robinson are good salary-match pieces while breakout playoff star Caleb Martin and unexpected rookie stud Jaime Jaquez Jr. lurk as further sweeteners.

The 27-year-old Mitchell can become a free agent as early as 2025 and is actually on a surprisingly affordable contract for a star (owed roughly $32.6 million per year). With the Cavs not exciting anybody at 15-12 and Mitchell looking unlikely to sign an extension, they may have to consider getting what they can for him in a trade. Granted, there may be a dark-horse destination beckoning for Mitchell on the other coast.