3 players the Miami Heat can trade for besides Damian Lillard

No. 2 player the Miami Heat can trade for besides Damian Lillard: Zach LaVine

The Chicago Bulls are expected to float Zach LaVine’s name on the trade market this summer. While the cost of trading for LaVine relative to his enormous contract might scare teams off, it’s hard to deny how close the Heat are to title contention. LaVine can absolutely take them to the next level offensively.

LaVine has roughly four years and $178 million left on his contract, including his $48.9 million player option for 2026-27. Given his injury history, it’s hard to stomach that much long-term money. But again, the Heat tend to get the most out of players at every stage of their career and LaVine, for the time being, can absolutely deliver star value.

The former dunk champ averaged 24.8 points on 60.7 TS% last season. Still able to tap into his elite first step and floaty athleticism, LaVine is a dangerous scorer who can bomb deep 3s or smoke defenders on straight-line drives. His 7.1 three-point attempts per game would greatly benefit a Heat offense that struggled to produce from long range during the regular season.

LaVine comes with his share of question marks on the defensive end. The Heat would presumably have to include Tyler Herro in any trade, however — if anything, LaVine is a mild upgrade on that front. Miami also has strong defensive personnel and one of the true schematic masters at the helm in Erik Spoelstra, so the concern is mitigated. LaVine would be extremely fun to watch working off of Butler and Adebayo, and vice versa.