As the new NBA season approaches, Tyler Herro projects to be the Miami Heat‘s lead ball-handler and shot creator. Pat Riley failed in his pursuit of acquiring a superstar talent this summer. Instead, he’s settled on the addition of Norman Powell.
However, if Miami wants to get the best out of Herro, they must give him another teammate capable of handling the rock and initiating some of the offense. In a July 30 article, Dan Riccio of “Hot Hot Hoops” pinpointed Jrue Holiday as a logical trade target for the franchise.
“Holiday is a proven winning player, two-time champion and all-defensive caliber guard,” Riccio wrote. “He is also still an efficient and capable outside shooter that can provide some balance to a Tyler Herro-focused backcourt. But his contract and age could pose as an issue in any negotiations, despite the pedigree Holiday still brings to the table.”
Holiday is a versatile talent at the guard position. He can operate as a lead ball-handler, secondary scorer, or plug gaps in the overall rotation. Furthermore, he’s one of the best guard defenders in the NBA and knows what it takes to win a championship.
It’s unclear whether Holiday would be available for trade, though. He was shipped to the Portland Trail Blazers earlier this summer, and at first glance, it would appear that Chauncey Billups plans on integrating him into the rotation.
Bam Adebayo Speaks on Heat’s New Additions
During a recent discussion with Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald, Miami’s star big man Bam Adebayo shared his thoughts on the Heat’s offseason moves.
“It’s a very good shake-up for our team and now there’s a different dynamic to it,” Adebayo said when addressing the media on Saturday, August 2. “I feel like Norman is one of those guys who floats under the radar. But as you saw this year, he’s really shown that he can be an All-Star caliber player. You’ve seen what he’s done and you’ve seen him grow in this league. And, obviously, he wants to take the next challenge. Obviously, the next challenge is being with the Miami Heat. So I’m happy to have him.”
Overall, the Heat have added Powell, Simone Fontecchio and Kasparas Jakucionis this summer. They’ve also re-signed Davion Mitchell on a two-year $24 million contract. Adebayo will undoubtedly be excited to get back to work with a new-look Heat roster. Nevertheless, a potential addition of Holiday would take Erik Spoelstra’s team to a new level.
Heat Expected to be “Done” Making Trades
In a recent episode of the “Zaslow Show 2.0,” NBA cap expert Bobby Marks suggested that Miami could be done making trades this summer.
“I mean, listen, we’re going to see probably within the next couple of days, Beal become available in free agency,” Marks said. “I think the Norman Powell move eliminates that, as far as what they need. They’re a little bit below the first apron, so they can go out and sign a minimum guy if they want to do that. But I’m not anticipating another big move.”
If Marks is correct, we won’t see Holiday or any other talent heading to Miami this summer. Instead, Spoelstra will make do with the roster at his disposal. Whether that will be enough for the Heat to contend in the Eastern Conference will remain to be seen.
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