‘Everything on the table’ for potential Heat moves

In the last three seasons, the Miami Heat have missed the playoffs twice. The one year Miami made the postseason, in 2018, the Philadelphia 76ers dispatched the Heat in five games.

It should come as no surprise that Pat Riley isn’t satisfied with those results. And according to a new Barry Jackson article in the Miami Herald, Riley will be active this summer in pursuing potential trades. Jackson said that an NBA official who has had conversations with Heat executives said that “everything is on the table.” No player is untouchable.

This report comes on the heels of ESPN’s Zach Lowe saying on his podcast that he expects Miami to be “incredibly aggressive” in trade talks a couple weeks ago.

Would Miami be willing to include Bam Adebayo or Justise Winslow in a trade to get a quality player? Reports have already mentioned Riley’s interest in Mike Conley. It’s also worth noting that the Heat traded away their unprotected 2021 first-round pick in the 2015 Goran Dragic deal — one that currently belongs to the Los Angeles Clippers. Is Riley trying to do everything in his power to keep that 2021 pick from being a top-five selection?

For my part, I hope Riley exercises caution in trades. As I’ve stated before, how good would Miami be if the Heat pulled off the trade for Jimmy Butler last October and gave up Adebayo and Josh Richardson for the 6-foot-8 former Marquette standout?

Now, Butler is far better than anyone currently wearing a Miami uniform. But he’s a couple notches below Kawhi Leonard and Giannis Antetokounmpo, who were just battling in the Eastern Conference Finals. And without solid role players like Adebayo and Richardson around Butler, Miami would probably be no better than a middling playoff team in the East.

The Heat need a collection of young players to attract stars, not to simply trade them away.