The Miami Heat weren’t overly active ahead of the NBA trade deadline. The only move that they made was trading backup center Dewayne Dedmon to the San Antonio Spurs along with a second-round pick. That move was financially driven as the Heat looked to slash some of their tax bill.
It was seen as a disappointment for some that the Heat were unable to make a move to upgrade their roster. The team is currently in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, a half-game behind the New York Knicks for sixth.
While Miami remains a dominant team on defense, ranking 4th in defensive rating, they have struggled to score the ball all season. The Heat are last in the NBA in points per game and 27th in offensive rating.
There has been a lot of pressure on Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro to carry the offensive load. Butler and Adebayo are the only players in the team’s rotation shooting 50 percent or better on the season; Caleb Martin is the only other player making even 45 percent of their shot attempts.
Looking to shake things up, the Heat have been active on the buyout market and free agency since the deadline. They have agreed to deals with Cody Zeller and Kevin Love to upgrade their depth in the frontcourt behind Adebayo.
Love agreed to a buyout with the Cleveland Cavaliers and it was rumored that he would end up in South Beach. He made that decision final few days ago and revealed what made joining the Heat such an easy decision to make.
“I love the way that they operate here,” he told reporters Wednesday. “You can tell that it’s a top-tier, high-class, high-character organization and that all starts at the top. So for me, at the end of the day, it was a pretty easy decision.”
Adding him and Zeller to the roster should pay dividends right away. The Heat were relying on youngster Orlando Robinson to soak up minutes behind Adebayo when Dedmon was removed from the rotation. More often than not, the Heat just opted to play small ball.
After being removed from the Cavaliers’ rotation in recent weeks, Love should have a role right away coming off the bench in Miami. He will provide the team with some scoring and rebounding on the second unit, someone that can give Adebayo a breather.
More must-reads: