3 players the Miami Heat can trade for besides Damian Lillard

No. 1 player the Miami Heat can trade for besides Damian Lillard: Karl-Anthony Towns

The Timberwolves were robbed of a full season of the Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert partnership in the frontcourt. It could be worth another look, but frankly the Wolves would be smart to reallocate some of their financial resources to the perimeter.

Naz Reid’s extension only increases the possibility of a Towns trade. Gobert’s contract is pretty much unmovable; Towns can net the Wolves real assets to build out the roster around Anthony Edwards. Towns is still a borderline top-30 player who gets too much of a bad rap.

The Heat would immediately benefit from Towns’ shooting. While Miami’s Finals run was defined by fluky 3-point numbers, the Heat were terrible from 3-point range last season. Towns can credibly proclaim himself the best shooting 7-footer in NBA history. He’s a career 39.5 percent shooter from long range on 4.2 attempts per game.

On top of the shooting, Towns is a capable post scorer who can anchor lineups offensively — especially when Butler sits. The passing talent between Adebayo and Towns in the frontcourt would give Miami a ton of fun wrinkles to incorporate on offense. Meanwhile, Butler-Towns pick-and-rolls would decimate the opposition.

The obvious elephant in the room here is Towns’ complicated relationship with Butler during their shared tenure in Minnesota. Butler pretty openly questioned Towns’ work ethic and commitment to winning, so they’d need to squash that beef for Miami to even consider a trade. But, talent-wise, there’s no denying the immense value Towns would bring to a team in need of more size and scoring.