NBA Rumors: Heat Almost Pulled Off A Trevor Ariza Trade

KEY POINTS

Ariza could have joined Heat
Miami needs reliable vets to help young stars
Heat expected to make some move before trade deadline

The Miami Heat are running on a well-oiled machine although it is no secret that team president Pat Riley is open to improving his squad. And while there are several names like Jrue Holiday, DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge, there was an alleged low-profile trade that would have gone down involving Trevor Ariza.

The 34-year-old is now with the Portland Trail Blazers in the aftermath of that NBA trade with the Sacramento Kings. But sources told Seth Partnow of The Athletic that the Heat were in serious discussions with Sacramento before the one-time NBA champion was moved to Sacramento.

"I have been told by credible sources that Miami was in serious discussions with Sacramento about acquiring Trevor Ariza before he was ultimately dealt to Portland, though if I was aiming for a deep playoff run, I’d be aiming significantly higher than where Ariza is at this point in his career," Partnow said in the report.

Ariza would have been an interesting addition for head coach Erik Spoelstra. According to Basketball-Reference.com, the 43rd overall pick of the 2004 NBA Draft has played in 32 games averaging 6.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists. His production is not that eye-popping although Ariza has been known to get it done in other ways like defense and hustle.

Moving forward, the Heat still have time to improve with the NBA trade deadline set for Feb. 6. Big names as mentioned earlier are probably on their radar although vets could be a big boost. Aside from Butler, the Heat have no notable veteran on the roster significantly helping out.

The likes of Dion Waiters, James Johnson, Kelly Olynyk and Goran Dragic are there. However, Spoelstra seems to be getting more out players like Bam Adebayo, Kendrick Nunn, Duncan Robinson, and Tyler Herro.

It is no secret that the mentioned vets own hefty contracts but have performed below par. Even though reports surfaced that Riley reached out to some of them in an effort to get them on the same page, a potential NBA trade remains on the table. And as mentioned in a previous post, the Heat could strike a deal but will not include the names of their young core.