Pat Riley
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The Miami Heat are not likely to have their first round pick returned to them.
Pat Riley and the Miami Heat are always one of the most popular teams being talked about in the NBA rumor mill.
So far this season, the Heat have gone 23-21. They are once again stuck in the middle of the Eastern Conference and look like a borderline playoff contender thus far.
In recent years, Miami has been very active looking for a franchise caliber player. Bam Adebayo is a great talent, as are both Norman Powell and Tyler Herro, but the Heat need a superstar. They need someone who can power them to contention.
Enter Memphis Grizzlies star point guard Ja Morant.
Morant has been connected to Miami on multiple occasions. With the NBA trade deadline starting to draw closer, the Heat have been connected to Morant once again.
CBS Sports analyst Sam Quinn took a look at the best fits for the biggest names on the trade market. When it came to Morant, he called Miami the team to watch.
“Morant wouldn’t instantly make the Heat contenders. Frankly, he’d be their consolation prize, given the reporting from Marc Stein that the Heat will not pursue Morant if they think it affects their chances of landing Antetokounmpo,” Quinn wrote. “But if Antetokounmpo is off of the table, this could be an example of a directionless team and a directionless player uniting at a mutually beneficial moment.”
Miami Heat Make Perfect Sense for Ja Morant
Looking around the NBA, there are no other teams that make more sense for Morant than the Heat.
Miami needs a franchise player. Morant wants to be and is capable of being a franchise player.
Throughout the course of the 2025-26 NBA season so far with the Grizzlies, Morant has played in 19 games. He has averaged 19.3 points per game to go along with 7.8 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and a steal. In addition, he has shot 40.7 percent from the floor and has knocked down just 23.5 percent of his three-point attempts.
Clearly, those numbers are down from the production fans are used to seeing from Morant. However, his situation in Memphis has not been a great one.
It is obvious that the two parties have issues with each other. Morant may be open to staying with the Grizzlies and the team would love nothing more than for things to work with Morant, but a divorce seems possible in the future.
Morant Would Come With a Lot of Risk for Miami
While the talent is obvious with Morant, there have been some issues with injuries and his attitude has been questioned on multiple occasions with Memphis.
If the Heat were to pursue a trade for Morant, they would be banking on their culture helping take him to the next level.
Erik Spoelstra is arguably the best head coach in the NBA. He has found a lot of success over the years and has managed many personalities. Perhaps he could be the coach that unlocks Morant’s full potential.
Expect to hear more rumors about Morant as the trade deadline draws closer. Miami seems to be one of the most likely destinations for the star point guard if the Grizzlies decide to move him.