NBA Trade Rumors: Miami Heat Have Sights Set On Draymond Green, Seeking To Jump Into Title Contention
The Miami Heat may still have more work to do before Thursday’s trade deadline, with a new report that they are targeting Draymond Green in an attempt to bolster the chances of making it out of the Eastern Conference later this year.
The Heat have been among the most active teams ahead of the 3 p.m. trade deadline, landing Andre Iguodala from the Memphis Grizzlies and reportedly working hard to land Oklahoma City Thunder forward Danilo Gallinari. There is at least one more potential trade in the works as well, with Mercury News reporting that the Heat are inquiring about Golden State Warriors big man Draymond Green.
The Heat are within striking distance of the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and added a championship player in Iguodala, who at 36 comes in with fresh legs as the Grizzlies agreed to allow him to sit out the start of the year until they could find a trade partner. As ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski noted on Twitter, the Heat’s front office believes the team could be a title contender and have been making moves to prepare for what could be a long playoff run.
The recent moves seem to back that theory. Though Iguodala would not be a starter and likely not play major minutes, he would bolster the rotation and add defensive presence for the playoffs, CBS Sports noted. Green would also add toughness and defensive presence.
As for the trade itself, it was not clear whether the Heat and Warriors had engaged in any deep conversations, and insiders noted that there could be some potential roadblocks to the deal. This includes cap issues created by Green’s big contract. As Heat Nation noted, his upcoming contract demands and the Heat’s cap space would make Green a temporary addition to the Heat.
“Perhaps the most perplexing aspect of this report is Green’s current contract. Just last summer, Green signed a four-year, $100 million deal with the Warriors,” the report noted.
“That contract would likely take the Heat out of the running for the star-studded 2021 free agency class, unless they were able to part ways with multiple expensive contracts in the meantime.”
The Heat are still working on the Gallinari trade as well, with reports that they are trying to pull a third team in to complete the trade. It’s not clear if all this work would be completed before 3 p.m. on Thursday, but reports indicate that the Heat are motivated to make more moves.
