Mailbag: A trade? One big reason why making a deal is complicated for Heat at the moment.
The Miami Herald Heat mailbag is here to answer your questions.
If you weren’t able to ask this time, send your questions for future mailbags via Twitter (@Anthony_Chiang). You can also email them to achiang@miamiherald.com.
@Sarri66482742: Would Jrue Holiday, Robert Covington or Myles Turner make more sense for the Heat to trade for?
Anthony Chiang: We’re already here, huh? The Heat hasn’t even lost consecutive games yet this season, and there were some fans ready to make major trades to shake up the roster following Monday’s loss to the Grizzlies. Let’s relax for now. The Heat entered Friday with the third-best record in the Eastern Conference at 20-8 and has already earned quality wins over the Bucks, Rockets, Raptors, Nets, Mavericks (without Luka Doncic) and 76ers. In other words, the Heat is a good team. That’s clear.
So, let’s wait to see what this looks like when Goran Dragic and Justise Winslow return from injury before we start firing up the trade machine. Dragic and Winslow will help alleviate a lot of the issues that have popped up for the Heat recently. Dragic is still one of the Heat’s top offensive players, and he will help take some of the pressure off Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. And Winslow is one of the Heat’s top perimeter defenders and can serve as another reliable playmaker on offense.
Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday is a name that has been linked to the Heat after reports recently surfaced that Holiday is available in trade talks. Holiday is a really good two-way player, and he would fit nicely in Miami next to Adebayo, Butler and the Heat’s shooters. But there’s just one problem: Holiday has a $26.3 million player option for the 2021-22 season. If Holiday exercises that option, he would eat into the Heat’s available 2021 cap space. It’s hard to imagine Miami then being able to open up enough room to add a max-level free agent that summer, especially with Adebayo also scheduled for a big pay day that offseason. The question becomes: Is adding Holiday right now worth sacrificing the chance at pursuing an all-world talent like Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2021 free agency?
With the success the Heat is having at the moment, and Dragic and Winslow on their way back, the organization can remain patient. Things are going well right now. There’s no reason to sacrifice 2021 flexibility unless it’s for a superstar who will immediately make this team a title contender.
Carlos, Key Biscayne: How long can a 19-year-old with not a very muscular physique (compared to LeBron James at that age) take the pounding of NBA games as Tyler Herro is doing? I believe it is a matter of concern. What do you think?
Anthony: It’s a relevant question, especially with rookie Tyler Herro averaging 29.1 minutes for the season and 31.6 minutes during the past seven games. But Herro has handled things well. He has only missed one game this season and it was because of a sprained ankle. At the end of the day, Herro is 19 years old. He’s young and he will be fine. Will Herro need to work on his body and continue to add some muscle? Sure. But that will come with time.
