Although Miami Heat guard Norman Powell is just 26 years old, trading for him signaled a desire to contend in the short term.
Powell is entering the final season of his contract, which means the Heat can choose to let him walk in free agency next summer if the 2026 campaign is a huge letdown. To further the goal of competing next season while also keeping flexibility for their future, Miami could trade for a Defensive Player of the Year.
ClutchPoints predicts the Heat could swap disappointing guard Terry Rozier for Marcus Smart in a major trade with the Washington Wizards.
"Smart has endured a difficult past two seasons, playing in just 54 games combined during that span. But when healthy, he's shown flashes of being the lockdown 3-and-D guard he's been throughout his career," the article shared.
Smart is entering the final season of his four-year, $77 million contract, so there is no long-term commitment for the Heat in this scenario. It's similar to the logic the front office used when acquiring Powell from the Los Angeles Clippers.
While this is quite a lot of money for an injury-riddled veteran, he has the potential to contribute heavily on defense next season. Alternatively, Rozier is not offering substantial contributions on either end of the floor.
A draft pick would likely need to be included for the Wizards to accept this swap, but it's a rather low-risk, high-reward move for the Heat.
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