Do The Miami Heat Need To Make A Trade?

The Miami Heat entered this season with high expectations after landing one of the best players in the league, two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. They were expected to finish as a top-six seed in the Eastern Conference by many but the team's lackluster start to the season may force people to reconsider their predictions for this new-look roster.

Their rough start brings up the question: does the team need to make a trade? Although it seems extreme to explore the question so early into the season, the team's championship window isn't as open as people think. Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo are both phenomenal players but their chemistry has been questionable. Also, the team is one of the oldest rosters in the league after all the veteran signings this offseason along with the fact they parted with Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kasparas Jakucionis for Antetokounmpo this summer. All of those players are 26 or younger. This current iteration of the Heat is a win-now roster as a plethora of players could soon regress given their age.

With that out of the way, here are two players the Heat could be eyeing by February's trade deadline:

1. Kyrie Irving, Dallas Mavericks

Shams Charania reported this week that Miami is actively monitoring Irving's situation in Dallas. Irving recently returned to the court for the first time since March 2025 after suffering a torn ACL and missing the entire 2025-26 season. So far in his return, Irving has performed admirably, even helping lead the Mavericks to an upset victory over Miami on Monday night. Through four games, he is averaging 18 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists while shooting 49.1 percent from the field along with 33.3 percent from three-point range. Davion Mitchell has played great for Miami as the team's starting point guard throughout the first week of the season despite the Heat's woes. However, if the team has the chance to upgrade for a player like Irving, that may be an opportunity that Pat Riley and the front office can't pass up.

2. Dejounte Murray, New Orleans Pelicans

Murray was once viewed as one of the best two-way guards in the entire league but the past few seasons for the 2022 All-Star have not been the strongest. He returned to the court last season following his injury due to a torn Achilles suffered in January 2025. In the brief 14 games he played last year, Murray looked rehabilitated as a player, putting up 16.7 points, 6.4 assists and 5.4 rebounds. To start this season, he looks healthy and strong as a player again. The Pelicans could sell most of their team this year and given Murray's age and decline from the player he was a few seasons ago, he may not be that expensive in a possible trade. He is under contract through 2028.