NBA Trade Deadline 2020: One trade every team should make

Miami Heat: James Johnson, Dion Waiters, own top-20 protected 2020 first-rounder and 2022 second-rounder (less favorable of 76ers or Nuggets) for the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Steven Adams

Reason for Miami: The Heat could be a real playoff threat. Bam Adebayo is a legitimate star, and Jimmy Butler is among the best players in the East. Right now, they’re in the perk-up-the-fringes-of-the-rotation stage of team-building. To do that, the Heat could use a huge, defensive-minded center. Chris Silva is promising, but he’s a young player converted from a two-way contract to a full deal, and he likely can’t be depended upon for a big role in the playoffs. The Heat could do better. Meyers Leonard has a role to play, especially with his shooting from the center spot, but he could be exploitable in a playoff series. Adams would set brick screens to free up Butler, protect the rim and eat glass. He and Butler would have instant pick-and-roll chemistry, much like Adams had with Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City. Adams could fit alongside Adebayo in potential matchups against the Philadelphia 76ers or Los Angeles Lakers, or Adams would back up Adebayo in other contexts. He would be a big upgrade on Miami’s current options, and his contract doesn’t last longer than either of Johnson’s or Waiters’s, both of whom have fallen out of the rotation and potentially don’t fit perfectly in the locker room.

Reason for Oklahoma City: Adams is good! But he hasn’t popped and become the star center that many predicted, and he has never been as elite on the defensive end as advertised. If the Thunder do sell the vets, Adams could be one to go. It’s unlikely they get a better offer than a first-round draft pick, let alone one without adding salary for longer than Adams’ two years. There’s pain in selling your good players, and it’s likely that neither Johnson nor Waiters would see the floor. But acquiring bad money with draft assets is a tried and true way to build an NBA team. Letting Nerlens Noel — who is quietly putting up monster per-36 numbers in a small role — get some extra run as a young center is a plus, too.