The Miami Heat have been playing some of their best basketball of the NBA season in the last few weeks. After suffering an embarrassing defeat against the Detroit Pistons on South Beach that dropped their record to 11-14, Miami has gone 9-5 and climbed back up the Eastern Conference standings.
The Heat now sit at 20-18 and in seventh place in the conference, only one game behind the Indiana Pacers for the last spot outside of the NBA Play-In Tournament. Getting into that top-six should be the goal for the Heat, but it will be easier said than done.
Injuries have played a big part in their inconsistencies this season as there isn’t a single player on the team that has played in all 38 games this season. Max Strus with 36 games played is currently the highest on the team. Getting healthier would certainly help them in their pursuit of a playoff spot.
In addition to that, they could use an upgrade to the roster, especially in the frontcourt. With Caleb Martin now dealing with a quad injury, the need for a power forward could increase exponentially. It was already a weakness coming into the season following the departure of P.J. Tucker in the offseason and being without Martin for an extended period of time would be a huge blow.
One player that would help fill that void is former Heat forward Jae Crowder. Crowder has been on the trade market for months as he remains away from the Phoenix Suns, awaiting a trade. Alas, don’t expect a trade between the Heat and Suns to occur any time soon according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
“According to someone who has spoken to the Heat’s front office, the Heat remains interested in Jae Crowder, but only in a buyout situation, barring Phoenix shockingly taking a bad contract off Miami’s hands.”
Lacking draft capital or desirable assets, the Heat are a tough team to match up with when it comes to making trades. The Suns aren’t looking to take on long-term money in a deal for Crowder unless it is in exchange for a player that truly upgrades their chances of winning a championship.
That kind of player doesn’t currently exist on the Heat roster as they aren’t parting ways with any core pieces to bring Crowder on. A buyout certainly remains possible for Crowder, as there hasn’t been movement on the trade front. But, Phoenix will wait until the very last moment to see if a trade materializes so that they can maximize whatever value the veteran forward has left.
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