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MIAMI, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 09: Pat Riley speaks to media at Kaseya Center on February 09, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
The Miami Heat are a team that is on the borderline of being a playoff team. Right now, the Heat sit eighth in the Eastern Conference standings. They have the 19th-best offense in the NBA, which is not good enough to make the playoffs.
Because of their poor offense, the Heat have been linked to multiple players who might be able to help them on the offensive end of the court. Memphis Grizzlies star point guard Ja Morant is one of those players, especially after he just bought a house in Miami.
However, it doesn’t look like Miami is going to trade for him. According to a recent report, the Heat are not interested in bringing him in.
GettyMemphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant drives the ball. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP via Getty Images)
Report Suggests Heat Will Not Trade for Ja Morant
According to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, Miami is extremely unlikely to trade for Morant. He talked about it on the Hoop Collective Podcast.
“I feel confident that Ja Morant will not be a Heat and will not be a Buck. That’s what I would say. I don’t believe he’s going to Miami, and I don’t believe he’s going to Milwaukee.”
Morant seems unhappy in Memphis, and he is putting up the worst stats since his rookie season. He continues to miss games at an alarming rate, only playing in 19 games so far. Adding Morant would be a risk for Miami, especially with his history of missing games for injury and off-the-court-related issues.
Pat Riley has shown that he’s not afraid to make a big trade if it means that the Heat have a chance to win a title. He certainly is not afraid to take big swings. Bontemps seems to believe that the Grizzlies have another team in mind to send Morant to, if they decide to deal him at all.
GettyMiami Heat guard Tyler Herro shoots the ball. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
The Heat Need to Make a Trade
Even if the Heat end up not bringing in Morant, they still need to make a trade. Miami either needs to make a trade to help them win more games or they need to blow it up and start a rebuild. Staying in the middle is a big problem for the franchise moving forward, even if they are a premier free-agent destination.
Miami still has one of the best track records in the NBA when it comes to winning games. Under Riley, the Heat have won three titles, with him being the coach for one of them. Miami has a few trade assets on the roster, but Tyler Herro would have to be in any trade for a superstar player.
The Heat have tried to make trades for superstar players before and failed. Most recently, that happened with Damian Lillard, when the Blazers decided to send him to Milwaukee instead. If Riley believes this core has a shot to win a title, adding a superstar player shouldn’t be out of the question.