
Miami Heat
Sending out:Ā Justise Winslow (MIN), Goran Dragic (ORL), James Johnson (OKC), Kelly Olynyk (NYK)
Bringing in: Andre Iguodala (MEM), Chris Paul (OKC), Thaddeus Young (CHI)
It seems like thereās always one fringe contender looking short-term as possible at the trade deadline, doing everything they can to juice their championship odds. In the fantasy world Iām creating here, thatās the Miami Heat. The Heatās strong start to the season has come mostly without Justise Winslow and he has value as a trade chip. Here, theyāre also giving up Goran Dragic and Kelly Olynyk who have been hugely important to their run, along with James Johnson who has been considerably less important.
The upside, however, is that they get an incredibly strong group of veteran replacements that could raise their ceiling. Chris Paul has been sensational for the Thunder this season and is a more than suitable replacement for Dragic. They get Young as another athletic defender to help them in the frontcourt and Iguodalaās championship experience on the wing. It may this may be the Heat taking out a reverse mortgage on their future but it doesnāt cost any draft capital, it keeps Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, and probably puts them in a better position to win a title this season.