Last season, the Miami Heat were not a team a lot of people picked to win the Eastern Conference and make it to the NBA Finals, but in the Orlando Bubble, anything was possible. The Heat was not the best team in the Eastern Conference during the regular season last year, but as soon as they got to the NBA bubble, things quickly changed.

They swept the Pacers 4-0 in the first-round, then almost swept the #1 team in the Eastern Conference, the Milwaukee Bucks, beating them 4-1, then clinched their spot in the 2020 NBA Finals after defeating the Boston Celtics 4-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals. 

What made last year’s Miami Heat team so special was because of how well they “spread the wealth” on offense and how everyone on their roster played with a “chip on their shoulder.” Not only was Jimmy Butler criticized before going to the Miami Heat with people saying he was a cancer to any locker room and was not a good teammate, but he absolutely gained the respect of everyone with the way he led this Heat team.

He is absolutely adored by this franchise and the players on it and deserves the respect from everyone covering the NBA for what he did last season. When Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic went down with injuries in the NBA Finals, Jimmy Butler was the one who elevated his game to a whole new level we have not seen from him and looked like one of the best players in the NBA.

Without Butler, this Heat team may not have even made the playoffs this year and as a result, deserves all the bad things ever said about him taken back.

Entering the 2020-21 NBA season, the Miami Heat did not make any big moves other than bringing in Avery Bradley for backcourt depth, but if they want to have another shot at winning a championship, they will need to add another high-level talent to this roster.

Here are three trades the Miami Heat should target before the trade deadline in order to solidify themselves as championship contenders.