Heat ‘staying engaged’ in trade talks for Tyreke Evans

The Miami Heat have lost four straight games — their first skid of this length all season long — and the trade deadline is just two days away. If Pat Riley thinks his team needs to make a trade to get back on track, now is the time to start talking to other teams.

And ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported earlier today that while Miami is not a front-runner to trade for Tyreke Evans, they are “staying engaged.”

Evans is averaging 19.5 points per game this season for the Memphis Grizzlies and could help Miami’s offensive woes. But if Riley wants to entice the Grizzlies with an offer, he may have to trade one of his younger players, possibly Justise Winslow. That’s because the New York Times’ Marc Stein said that the Boston Celtics are looking to use a first-round draft pick in a trade for Evans.

And the Heat don’t have a first-round pick to trade until 2023, due to the two first-round picks Miami sent to the Phoenix Suns for Goran Dragic in 2015 and league rules barring teams from trading away first-round picks in consecutive seasons. If Riley can’t give Memphis a first-round pick, he may have to give away Winslow, a young player with potential.

But should Miami make that trade? Although he hasn’t taken a dramatic leap this year, Winslow has shown good playmaking abilities and developed a better jump shot. Besides, should the Heat trade Winslow when their other “point forward,” James Johnson, has not played as well as he did last year?

Let us know what you think in the comments.