Photo by Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports
The Miami Heat are a week away from starting their regular season. They will finish their preseason games on Wednesday night. So far, there’s hasn’t been many answers on the Heat’s regular rotational players. Since the first few games, players have been in and out of the lineups. The only ones receiving major minutes have been the young players, led by Nikola Jovic and Jamal Cain. And Duncan Robinson has also played in every game of the preseason.
Still, the power forward spot remains a question. Are the Heat looking for outside help or do they believe they have the answer inside? If you ask Caleb Martin, he’ll tell you he’s the answer. The young Heat forward hasn’t been shy about his confidence of guarding bigger players. Omer Yurtseven has also said that he can play alongside Bam Adebayo, who will be the power forward if Yurtseven started. Former Heat power forward Jae Crowder remains an option through trade. However, Houston Rockets forward K.J. Martin‘s name has been linked to the Heat. According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, the Heat have interest in Martin.
Rockets forward K.J. Martin, another forward known to have interest in playing elsewhere, is one player the Suns have held ongoing talks about obtaining, sources said. Portland and Miami are two other known teams with interest in Martin.
Via Jake Fischer
Trading For Martin
Entering his third year, the 21-year-old forward is looking to play elsewhere for more playing time. The Rockets drafted two young forwards in Jabari Smith and Tari Eason this offseason in the draft. With those two forwards on the roster, playing time seemed challenging for KJ Martin. This preseason, Martin has been successful in getting minutes at the small forward spot. But it remains to be seen how long this arrangement lasts once Houston gets healthy. If he doesn’t, Martin will have suitors.
If he’s looking for a place to maximize his skills, Miami is a great spot for him. Despite being undersized, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra will find a way to get the most out of him. Martin is very athletic and is good off the ball defensively. He’s not a switchable defender but Miami can adjust to that. Yurtseven is not a switchable defender and they normally do drop coverages whenever he’s on the floor. Offensively, he’s a good shooter, shooting over 45 percent from the field last season. This will be an intriguing piece for Miami to acquire. We’ll see what happens.
