The Miami Heat are determined to get better and may have done so when they acquired Andre Iguodala. But as most know, the South Beach squad was also in a mad chase to land Danilo Gallinari of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Unfortunately, their efforts to land the Italian fell short.
Time ran out on Miami to get a deal done with Gallinari. This was despite the growing belief that a deal could be done before the NBA trade deadline last Feb. 6. Although it was not officially reported, a reason for that could be because the Thunder were not convinced with the offered pieces. Until now, no one knew what the Heat offered.
According to the Bleacher Report, the Heat considered moving Kelly Olynyk and rookie Kendrick Nunn to Oklahoma City. James Johnson and a future draft pick were also part of the talks. Though Miami was able to advance in talks, it appears their failure to come to a short-term extension became the problem.
When the smoke cleared, the Heat ended up with Iguodala, Jae Crowder, and Solomon Hill. No longer around are Dion Waiters, Justise Winslow, and James Johnson. Of the three, Waiters has been waived, although the 28-year-old guard is in exploratory talks with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Curiously, it may come as a surprise that the Heat was willing to trade away their prized rookie for Gallinari. Nunn has been a prominent figure for Miami this season. In 49 games, the 24-year-old has averaged 15.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per Basketball-Reference.com. Along with other young stars like Duncan Robinson, Bam Adebayo, and Tyler Herro, the Heat have surprised many with their 2019-20 NBA regular season run. Nobody figured they would perform this well with Jimmy Butler at the helm.
Offering Olynyk is hardly surprising. The 28-year-old veteran has had his share of criticism, although he has answered the call when needed. He comes off the bench and has averaged 7.6 points and 4.6 rebounds. But the real kicker about the Canadian is his contract. Olynyk is in the third year of the $50 million contract he signed back in 2018. He becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2021.
With the NBA trade deadline done and over with, there is still a chance that Miami will try to get Gallinari again in the summer. Perhaps a revised offer can finally get the 31-year-old to South Beach unless some other team offers a better package.
