3 NBA contenders who need Malcolm Brogdon to finish their rotation

No. 1 Malcolm Brogdon trade destination: Miami Heat

The Miami Heat's point guard depth is a tad shallow these days. Gabe Vincent left for the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency and Miami never really signed a replacement. The obvious goal was to bring Damian Lillard into the fold before training camp, but that didn't work out. Brogdon makes an excellent pivot.

There are injury and age concerns with Brogdon, but again, he's a former offensive centerpiece who can scale up or down depending on the personnel situation. The Heat desperately need another shooter on the perimeter, and Brogdon's playmaking would ease Jimmy Butler's burden in the halfcourt offense.

Right now, Miami's "point guard" depth chart essentially boils down to Kyle Lowry, Tyler Herro, or Josh Richardson. Lowry is the only point guard by trade, and but he's way past his prime and better left in the sixth man role. Herro can't defend; Richardson can't pass. Brogdon checks a lot of boxes while maintaining effectiveness away from the ball. Butler is the Heat's real offensive engine, but Brogdon would be invaluable connective tissue.

Miami truly struggled behind the 3-point line in the regular season. The playoffs were a different story — as evidenced by the team's historic run to the NBA Finals — but it's better to rely on 82 games worth of data, rather than an aberrational hot streak. Herro and Duncan Robinson are great volume shooters, but both get played off the floor defensively. Brogdon can stimulate Miami's 3-point numbers while also defending at an adequate level late in games.

Brogdon's reputation is probably on shakier ground than it should be on the heels of a Sixth Man of the Year campaign. The Heat are notorious for squeezing the most out of their veterans, even those discarded or discounted elsewhere. It's unwise to predict Brogdon's return to his borderline All-Star status of yesteryear, but with the Heat, anything is possible.