The Miami Heat have yet to make any meaningful splashes in free agency or the trade market, but it remains far too early to count them out.
After a busy opening week of July, the two primary figures who might soon switch uniforms are Lauri Markkanen of the Utah Jazz and DeMar DeRozan, most recently of the Chicago Bulls. Zach Lowe of ESPN reported on Friday, July 5, that Miami is officially among the several suitors in on the Markkanen sweepstakes.
“A pile of teams has shown interest in him including the San Antonio Spurs, Sacramento Kings, Miami Heat and [Golden State] Warriors, sources said,” Lowe wrote.
Lowe went on to categorize the Heat as among the losers of free agency considering how much better the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers have apparently gotten over the last week or so, as well as how good the Boston Celtics remained after winning the NBA title in June.
“Miami barely got to play with Jimmy Butler, Terry Rozier, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro available together. Nikola Jovic made a leap that presaged another. Jaime Jaquez Jr. is legit. Miami could unlock enough future first-round picks to get into trade talks for some stars,” Lowe wrote. “But Boston widened the gap and shed the postseason shakes that troubled it in past series against Miami. The Heat are nearing a crossroads.”
Lauri Markkanen Can Offer Heat Much-Needed Offense at Reasonable Price.
Markkanen is a 7-foot stretch big man who has shot north of 39% from the 3-point line in each of the past two seasons on 7.7 and 8.0 attempts, respectively.
He’s also averaged 25.6 points and 23.2 points per game in his last two respective campaigns and rebounds well with a career mark of 7.3 boards per night. The Bulls underutilized Markkanen through the first four years of his career and he was an awkward fit during his fifth professional season as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers. The court opened up for him upon his arrival in Utah, however, where the big man earned All-Star honors in 2022-23.
