My Miami Heat could potentially be signaling a power move here.
Pat Riley & Co. traded backup center Dewayne Dedmon on Feb. 7 (along with a 2020 second-round draft pick) to the San Antonio Spurs for cash considerations. The move comes just days ahead of the Feb. 9 deadline.
The move allows Miami to clear two spots on their roster to take them below the NBA luxury tax, with one being to replace Dedmon and the other being a vacant spot on the Heat’s 15-man roster.
With one of the spots, Miami has the option of converting rookie center Orlando Robinson’s two-way contract to a standard NBA deal, which would make him eligible to play in the rest of the regular season and the playoffs.
And the Heat’s other option?
They could make a power play via trade by the deadline, or could even get in the buyout market.
Notes on the Dedmon-Spurs trade:
• Miami is now $4.86M under luxury tax
• Two roster spots open (13 players under roster)
• Must add 14th player
• Flexibility to spend $4M MLE or $4.1 BAE
• Have 1️⃣ 2nd-round pick left to trade until 2029
• Signals another move is coming…— Brian Goins (@byBrianGoins) February 7, 2023
There’s no real clarity on who the Miami Heat could trade for after Kyrie Irving was sent to the Dallas Mavericks and the Brooklyn Nets stated they had no interest in trading Kevin Durant, but high-profile players that have been linked to the Heat include Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul (but what high-profile players aren’t linked to Miami at this point?). (RELATED: ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith And Jay Williams Get Into Heated Kyrie Irving Argument That Turns Personal)
And in the buyout market, the Heat have been linked to power forward Serge Ibaka.
Only time will tell … let’s see how big of a move the Miami Heat make.