The Miami Heat broke the trade silence on Tuesday when they acquired point guard Brian Roberts from the Charlotte Hornets while sending Chris Andersen away. Miami was looking for scoring help and they believe Roberts can come in for the struggling Goran Dragic to help the offense. The question is whether the Heat are done making moves now. With Chris Bosh continuing to deal with clotting issues, does Hassan Whiteside stay put?
According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, Bosh is back on blood thinners to treat a clot in his calf muscle. The injury was originally reported as a strain, but now the star is back dealing with an issue that ended last season early for him. The Heat believe that Bosh will recover and play again, but there is no guarantee that happens any time soon or even this season at all. That puts the Heat in a tough spot. Jackson reports the Heat are trying to approach this issue with caution, but they need other options if Bosh does not get back on the court.
Without any trade deals, Jackson believes Luol Deng will switch to the power forward role while Justise Winslow and Gerald Green rotate at the small forward spot. With Bosh out, the presence of Whiteside becomes more important than before. A lineup with the center and Winslow is the second most used pairing for the Heat this year and that developed chemistry will be critical down the final stretch of the season. The Heat might want to trade Whiteside, but with Bosh out they cannot afford to let him go.
According to the Miami Herald, the Heat have no plans on re-signing Whiteside in the offseason which is what sparked the trade talk to begin with. Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reports that the Heat and Houston Rockets have talked about swapping Whiteside and Dwight Howard. There is no chance that deal happens as Miami would have to give up half their roster to acquire the center. The team would not be able to make things work in terms of contracts.
The Heat could easily stay put after making the initial trade of Chris Andersen. However, this offseason could see several more changes to the roster. Dragic is quickly falling out of favor with the franchise. The point guard could be sent packing this offseason in the right deal. Dwyane Wade's future is up in the air while Bosh is not guaranteed anything as well. The Heat are trying to make a push to the playoffs, but if it does not workout then breaking up the roster could be the next move.
