The Miami Heat are gearing up for another NBA title run with LeBron James and at the deadline, names like Chris Kaman and Pierre Jackson could be targets for the team at the trading date as they try to load up for a battle against the Indiana Pacers to win the eastern conference in 2014.
Miami comes into the deadline playing well overall this season, but many would argue that the team is not as strong as it was last year and with the Pacers adding a number of players since last offseason, Indiana is looking more like the favorites in the conference. The Heat just lost to the Jazz and in response to that they may make a move or two at the deadline and after the Pacers added Luis Scola in the offseason and signed Andrew Bynum, Miami is lacking up front and that could lead to the team snagging someone like Chris Kaman.
The Lakers star has publically complained about his role with the team and he could be a potential trade target for a number of teams, including the Heat. Earlier in the season, according to ESPN.com, the Heat may be a bit more aggressive at the deadline with the moves Indiana has made along with the fact that Dwyane Wade has been banged up and that puts someone like Pierre Jackson in the mix, as he is in the D-League and lighting it up, while the Pelicans already have four other players at his position.
According to ESPN Los Angeles, the Lakers forward/center said that he wouldn't have any issue with getting trade and that he isn't thinking about it and if the team decides to trade him, there could be a number of suitors. Kaman is only playing 17 minutes per game for a bad Lakers team and those could be valuable for Miami and he is averaging 8.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game this season and with Miami ranked 30th in rebounding and Indiana in the top 10 that is a deal they could explore.
Wade had missed a stretch of games earlier in the season and that is one reason why the team was looking for some insurance and other reason could be due to the health of Greg Oden. While the center has been a steady presence with the team, the long term prospects are up in the air and no one knows how well he will hold up or not in the playoffs and Kaman and Jackson could be insurance for both Wade and Oden.
Earlier in January Jackson was averaging 30.1 points and 4.8 assists in the D-League and he set a record with 58 points in a game in February and that sparked more interest in him. The Pelicans need some support with the Ryan Anderson and Jason Smith injuries and using Jackson as bait could be a way to do that. Miami is still chasing Indiana in the east for home court advantage and that could have a huge impact on the postseason depending on how that turns out.