NBA Rumors: Miami Heat to trade Norris Cole for Shabazz Napier?
By Josh Hill
The NBA Draft is just around the corner and the Miami Heat are now all of a sudden getting aggressive in wanting to trade up to secure a high enough pick that they can draft Shabazz Napier.
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Losing LeBron James to free agency has been a sobering moment for the Miami Heat, in particular Pat Riley who talked a big game only to scare away his biggest player.
According to ESPN expert Chad Ford, the Miami Heat may want to trade for Shabazz Napier but that’s a lot easier said than actually done. Outside of Norris Cole, the Heat have pretty much nothing to offer other than their current first round pick and that might not be enough to move up in the draft.
"They have the 26th pick and point guard Norris Cole to offer a team — but that’s about it. If Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh opt out, Justin Hamilton will be the only player the Heat have under contract for next season. And the team can’t offer Wade or Bosh in a trade until the players officially decide whether or not to opt out by Monday. The team can’t even offer a first-rounder next season because the Cleveland Cavaliers have the Heat’s pick in 2015 if it falls between Nos. 11-30."
Norris Cole is alright, but the Heat have very little to offer to trade up and get a guy who could — in some bizarre but possible scenario — go as high as No. 12 overall. What the Heat need to do is move ahead of the Chicago Bulls at No. 16 overall to grab Napier but they simply don’t have the assets to offer the Atlanta Hawks at No. 15 to convince them that moving back to No. 26 id the right thing to do.