Miami Heat Already Emerging As Donovan Mitchell Trade Suitor
The 2023-24 NBA season has not gone as well as the Miami Heat had hoped it would. Injuries and inconsistent performances on the court have the team staring down a spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament for a second consecutive year.
Last year, it was a route that didn’t phase the Heat at all. As the No. 8 seed, they advanced to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Denver Nuggets. To get there, they defeated the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks and Boston Celtics.
Can the Heat repeat that success in 2024, especially if they have to go through the Play-In Tournament again? It will be interesting to see if they have what it takes, but you can be sure that moves will be made in the offseason to ensure it won’t have to happen again in 2025.
The Heat are always a potential destination when star players are hitting the market. There is a lot to like about South Beach, on and off the court, that makes them attractive for several reasons to prospective targets.
Who could they look to target this offseason? Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report believes that the Heat could be one of the suitors for Donovan Mitchell should the Cleveland Cavaliers have to accept the harsh reality of needing to trade him.
“The Heat are a generally attractive destination. Miami has beautiful weather, no state income tax, a long-tenured front office and one of the league’s top head coaches in Erik Spoelstra. Mitchell is also said to have a strong relationship with Heat All-Star Bam Adebayo,” wrote Pincus.
The Heat were mentioned as a legitimate suitor, and one of the teams Mitchell preferred, when he was made available during the 2022 NBA offseason. Because of that, they shouldn’t have the same issues the Cavaliers are having about wanting to stay long-term.
The real hurdle Miami will face, as they did when attempting to acquire Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers, is the strength of their trade package. The Heat can offer their 2024 first-round pick only after the NBA Draft along with firsts in 2029 and 2031 with up to four second-round picks.
Is that enough draft capital when considering that two of Tyler Herro, Terry Rozier and Duncan Robinson would have to be included in the deal? The Cavaliers would likely insist on Jamie Jaquez Jr. and Nikola Jovic, their two most recent first-round picks, being included to sweeten the deal as well.
