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A new Miami Heat rumor opens the door to an unexpected trade for a young player with a ton of upside before training camp opens up later this month.
The Heat made the biggest move of the summer when they finally completed a long-rumored trade for Milwaukee Bucks legend Giannis Antetokounmpo. In the deal, they gave up a handful of valuable draft picks, one-time All-Star Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel’el Ware, and Kasparas Jakucionis.
Giving up four players in their rotation severely hurt the team’s depth. So they have spent the rest of the offseason trying to round out the roster by adding veteran talent on team-friendly contracts. They improved their shooting by signing scoring journeymen Tim Hardaway Jr. and future Hall of Famer Klay Thompson. But they still have a glaring weakness at point guard.
The duo of former lottery pick Davion Mitchell and Dru Smith isn’t blowing the hair of Heat fans and executives back with their potential. That is why Heavy NBA insider Sean Deveney reported on Tuesday that “the long-term idea is to find a trade that will bring in a point guard.” But who could that be? Well, we have an interesting idea.
Why the Miami Heat should pursue a Scoot Henderson trade
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Apr 28, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson enters Frost Bank Center before game five of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images
The obvious assumption from that report will be a potential trade for Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving. The nine-time All-Star has been linked to the team for some time. But if a trade did happen, that won’t be until the deadline in February. Plus, an Irving trade comes with risk. He is a 34-year-old coming off an ACL tear, has a history of knee issues, and he has a $42 million player option for next season.
The Heat need help at the position now. But it would also make more sense to go after a younger player with an affordable deal. That is why former Portland Trail Blazers lottery pick Scoot Henderson should be their top target.
Portland has put themselves in a weird position after trading for Ja Morant this summer. They now have Morant, future Hall of Famer Damian Lillard, expensive veteran Jrue Holiday, and Henderson playing the same position next season. They would love to move Holiday, but his contract makes that hard to do. So Henderson is the odd man out. Especially since he has not lived up to the hopes they had when he was the No. 3 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Miami would want to offer Nikola Jovic in a trade. With injury-prone big man Robert Williams still on the roster, Portland might be open to taking Jovic and the $64 million left on his contract. However, the Heat will probably have to add a future first-round pick to get a deal done.
The pick makes a deal pricey, but Henderson is only 22 years old and put up solid numbers last season (14 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal a night while shooting 84% from the free-throw line). It is very possible that coach Erik Spoelstra can take the talented and very athletic guard to a higher level.
Furthermore, Henderson is in the last year of his deal before becoming a restricted free agent. So if it doesn’t work, they can let him walk in free agency while getting Jovic’s money off the books — at the cost of a first-rounder — or have leverage to re-sign him next summer.