(Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
It’s that time of year again. Where teams make trades to either improve their roster or rebuild. With the February 8th NBA trade deadline approaching, teams have been actively engaged in trade discussions. This season, there are a few teams that are said to be sellers, such as the Charlotte Hornets and the Atlanta Hawks among others. And then you have teams like the Miami Heat, who are trying to improve their title contention. According to the Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang, they have been exploring Kyle Lowry trades to do so.
“The Heat continues to explore trades involving Lowry ahead of the Feb. 8 NBA trade deadline, according to multiple league sources,” Chiang wrote. “Lowry holds value on the trade market with his sizable expiring $29.7 million salary.”
Bench Role
Just recently, the Heat made decided to take Lowry out of the starting lineup after 35 appearances. He has not scored double figures since January 3, when he scored 10 points, and since the beginning of January, his average has only been 4.4 points and 3.6 assists per game. Although Lowry finished the previous season in a reserve role, the new role may prove beneficial for him. Just like it did last season. However, the experiment has not yet paid off, as Miami has lost its first two games without Lowry in the starting lineup.
Seeking Guard Help
Miami would like to acquire a scoring guard. Guards like Dejounte Murray, Tyus Jones, and Terry Rozier have been listed as trade candidates. Rozier has been a popular name linked to Miami. With one more guaranteed season left on his deal, Rozier has become a far more appealing trade chip because of his play this year, especially during Lamelo Ball‘s absence with the sprained ankle. He’s posting career-highs in both assists (6.7) and points (23.6) per game. The 29-year-old guard also has a field goal percentage of 46 percent, of which he is making 36.7 percent from three-point range.
With a record of 24-19, the Heat are in sixth place in the Eastern Conference and are seeking a repeat trip to the NBA Finals, though they will probably need to add some players to overcome a tight Eastern Conference race. We will see if they’re able to make a move between now and the trade deadline.
