The Miami Heat started to turn things on at the end of the first half of the NBA season. They have won seven of their previous 10 games, climbing up into the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference.
It had been a rocky start for Miami, as they struggled to recreate the success they had in the Orlando Bubble. Injuries have played a big part, as Duncan Robinson was the only player to appear in all 36 games thus far this season. Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, Avery Bradley and Goran Dragic all missed double-digit games already.
Despite that, Erik Spoelstra and company have righted the ship and look poised to make a second-half run. Will they be adding some more firepower to the roster to help accomplish that?
According to Greg Sylvander, a Heat insider at 5 Reasons Sports Network, Miami is one of several teams that are discussing trade scenarios with the San Antonio Spurs involving LaMarcus Aldridge.
In addition to Miami, Sylvander has heard the Boston Celtics are in the mix and a few other teams have not been named. His former team, the Portland Trail Blazers, are another team to keep an eye on.
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Aldridge and the Spurs mutually agreed to part ways earlier this week as the team will look to find him a new home whether it’s via trade or buyout. He has appeared in only 21 games this season, but contending teams should be lining up to acquire him.
Aldridge has worked tirelessly to expand his range and is now a respectable 3-point shooter. He has spent a majority of his minutes at the center position the last four years with the Spurs, so teams looking for a floor-spacing big man will undoubtedly have interest in Aldridge.
For Miami, he would provide some much-needed assurance behind Bam Adebayo. The only other player listed as a center on the roster is Meyers Leonard, who has issues to sort out now.
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Aldridge would give the second unit some scoring punch alongside Herro, something they have lacked this season. It would also help push Andre Iguodala into more minutes on the wing and help offset the loss of Jae Crowder, someone the team has struggled replacing thus far this season.
As Sylvander shared, it should not cost much to land Aldridge in a trade. San Antonio will have plenty of teams making calls about him, but if Aldridge has some say in where he lands, Miami has a chance after they pursued him while he was a free agent.
