The Miami Heat have been in the rumor mill as of late, with some fans wondering if the team might be working on a trade to bring in Milwaukee Bucks disgruntled star Giannis Antetokounmpo. Now that the Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors seem to have taken the lead in those talks, it seems that the Heat are now moving on to another option: Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant.
“…the Heat are certainly at the forefront of those conversations. For weeks, the Heat have been attempting to buy low on Morant, much like how the Washington Wizards did with their Trae Young trade with the Atlanta Hawks,” reported ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel.
Indeed, the Wizards were able to poach Trae Young from the Atlanta Hawks for the low price of CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert, and it seems that the Grizzlies will have to settle for a similarly low offer for Morant, whose value is very low at the current moment due to his bloated contract and the fact that his shooting percentages have cratered this year, all while his injury concerns continue to mount.
” …the Grizzlies do want draft compensation for Morant and are widely expected to take the first deal they can involving a first-round pick, sources said. Morant wants Miami, and only Miami,” added Siegel.
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The Heat would be in the NBA play-in tournament for the fourth straight year if the season ended today, and at this point, it's unclear if Morant alone would be enough to get Miami into real contender status in the Eastern Conference.
However, for a fanbase that has watched Pat Riley sit back and do nothing for several years in a row now, any move would likely feel refreshing at this point.
In any case, the NBA trade deadline is set for Thursday afternoon.