NBA Trade Rumors: 4 deadline deals to help the Miami Heat get right

It’s been reported that Victor Oladipo is interested in playing for the Miami Heat and the fact that he turned down a contract extension from the Heat gives them leverage. It seems more likely that Oladipo will explore free agency, even if he doesn’t end up in Miami, which puts pressure on Houston to actually find a deal.

Oladipo duplicates a lot of strength and depth on Miami’s existing roster — shooting and creation in the backcourt. But he’s another very strong wing defender who can help strengthen things at that end and provide another primary creator for minutes Butler is on the bench or when the defense is tilted his way. Because the Rockets are under pressure here, they might be willing to take a deal that does not include a first-round pick, with Nunn and Achiuwa as the primary assets going back.

This deal definitely weakens the Heat’s frontcourt rotation by removing Olynyk but there should be other buyout options that could take his place and the backcourt upgrade Oladipo provides over Nunn could be worth it.