NBA Champion Defends Miami Heat's Run To 2020 Finals In Bubble

That prompted ESPN's Richard Jefferson to respond. He pointed out the effort Jimmy Butler made for the Heat that season. He also said the Miami Heat in 2012 and San Antonio Spurs in 1999 both won titles during lockout seasons.

"There were shortened seasons with Miami, shortened seasons with the Spurs," Jefferson said. "Are you gonna say anything about those organizations? You can put asterisks on multiple seasons, but I know for a fact that the Lakers had to go in there and outlasted every single one of them. Tell Jimmy Butler, who almost died of exhaustion leaning over that, that there was going to be an asterisk."

A POTENTIAL OFFSEASON MOVE FOR THE HEAT

The Miami Heat are having a successful offseason, bringing in guards Norman Powell and incoming rookie Kasparas Jakucionis. Improving the guard rotation was a priority for Pat Riley and company heading into the offseason. They did just that.

However, while the guard rotation is much improved, other rotations on the roster have been somewhat neglected. The team lost forwards Duncan Robinson, Kevin Love and Kyle Anderson while adding Simone Fontecchio, a forward who has shown slight promise in the NBA throughout his short career.

As of now, the forward rotation consists of Fontecchio, Andrew Wiggins, Haywood Highsmith, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Nikola Jovic. Wiggins will start and while Jaquez Jr. and Jovic have shown some promise, the Heat have a golden opportunity to add one of the better trade targets currently floating around the league.

DeMar DeRozan would be the perfect addition for the Miami Heat.

While DeRozan is aging, he has not shown many signs of slowing down. The six-time All-Star joined the Sacramento Kings last season through a sign-and-trade deal. He signed a three-year deal worth $74 million. Throughout his 16th NBA season, he averaged 22.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists while shooting 47.7 percent from the field. DeRozan has always been viewed as a solid scorer and defender.

Now, you may be asking: Why would Miami want to take on an expensive contract of an old player for the next two seasons?

The simple answer is... the Heat would presumably not be giving much up to acquire him. Miami has one player on the roster who may not be viewed as a piece of the rotation this season. That player is Terry Rozier. The 31 year-old guard disappointed in his first full season with Miami by shooting 39 percent from the field. He is on an expiring contract with his salary this season sitting at $25 million.

Rozier's contract lines up almost perfectly with DeRozan's for a swap to occur. The Kings are one of those teams who seem they're one move away from completely blowing it up and embracing a rebuild. Moving DeRozan could be that move. A package consisting of Rozier plus a second-round pick or two could get a deal done.

If DeRozan joined the Heat, Miami could have a real shot at finishing as one of the top-seeded teams in a depleted Eastern Conference. With stars such as Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum on the mend for most if not the entire season, the Heat should jump at the opportunity to get an impact player and go chase a championship. DeRozan could very well be the missing piece to this new-look rotation.

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