Although the Miami Heat is having a great season, they are still looking to improve their roster.
Recent reports from a source suggest that they are interested in Naz Reid, Kelly Olynyk, and Jakob Poeltl.
Currently, Miami is ranked seventh in the Eastern Conference with a record of 24-20 and has won seven of its last ten games. Additionally, it has a three-game winning streak after defeating the Milwaukee Bucks at home on Thursday and Saturday.
The Heat have a frontcourt that includes Bam Adebayo and Caleb Martin, but despite some decisive victories, they are looking to upgrade.
The Heat’s apparent targeting of frontcourt players makes sense. Heat, after all, is 26th in the league in terms of rebounds per game and lacks size in that area. For most of the season, Adebayo and Martin, both 6 feet 5 inches tall, have started at power forward.
He’s done a pretty good job in his new position, but the Heat might benefit more from having his intense energy on offense and defense coming off the bench, a role he excelled in last year.
What qualities might Naz Reid bring to the Miami Heat?
The Minnesota Timberwolves have been the subject of the 23-year-old center’s professional career. He would provide the Heat’s frontcourt with a potent threat. For the Timberwolves this season, Reid is averaging 10 points, six rebounds, and 17 minutes played per game.
He has a variety of ways to score, including from beyond the arc (career percentage of 34.6%), and he is a good rebounder. Since joining the league, he has significantly improved his touch near the basket. The Louisiana State University graduate plays defense well and averages 0 points and nine blocks throughout his career.
Reid and Adebayo in the starting lineup would make for a very intriguing combination. The Heat might only need to give up a small number of assets to acquire Reid because he’s expected to become a free agent after this campaign.
What advantages might Kelly Olynyk offer the Miami Heat?
Olynyk’s tenure with the Heat from 2017 to 2021 is well-remembered by many Heat supporters. He remains the same kind of player for the Utah Jazz.
He is averaging 12 points, five rebounds, and three assists per game while starting for the Jazz this year. He also makes 50-point three percent of his field goal attempts, and 41-point three percent of his three-point attempts.
Olynyk is known to the Heat faithful for his reliable shooting and playmaking. Heat offense, the worst in the league in terms of points per game, would benefit from having him in the starting lineup, even though he may not be as good a defender as Martin is. He would undoubtedly contribute to the Heat scoring more goals with his inventiveness.
Additionally, a large portion of the Heat’s roster is unchanged from when he was traded to the Houston Rockets, so it would probably take him only a short time to acclimate to life in South Florida.
What might Jakob Poeltl bring to the Miami Heat?
Of the three Heat targets, the San Antonio Spurs center may have the best season. He averages 12 points, three rebounds, and two assists per contest while making 63 percent of his field goal attempts.
Although he poses no threat from beyond the arc, having him in the paint would force Adebayo to widen the scope of his maneuvers. The University of Kentucky product is becoming more and more at ease playing the Heat’s offensive pivot position.