After re-signing Goran Dragic and Dwayne Wade plus drafting Justise Winslow, the Miami Heat have one last box they would like to check before finalizing their roster for the 2015-16 season. The team is desperately aiming to trade away Mario Chalmers or Shabazz Napier in the coming weeks in order to free up salary cap space for a critical free agency run in 2016. With several teams looking for point guard depth in the coming season, could a market develop for either point guard?
According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the Heat are desperate to deal Chalmers, but will settle for Napier if needed. Chris Andersen has also been tossed around in deals as the Heat aim to create a little salary cap space freedom moving forward. Cutting both Andersen and Chalmers would rid the Heat of $30 million. Even trading just one of those players would help, but interest has been hard to come by at this point in the offseason. While a market for Andersen is not appearing, teams could come forward for Chalmers or Napier.
The Houston Rockets won the race to acquire Ty Lawson from the Denver Nuggets. The Los Angeles Lakers, Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks were all listed as possible contenders for the point guard. Would Chalmers be the next target? According to Basketball Insiders, deals for players like Eric Bledsoe or Brandon Jennings are not happening regardless of other offseason moves their respective teams made. However, the interest in Lawson proves that there is still a point guard market and the Heat can take advantage of it.
The Lakers are a team that could use another body at the position. The team is dealing with youth in D'Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson and it is not proving to be overly successful at the moment after both players struggled during summer league play. Adding a veteran like Chalmers would give the team some depth to work with. They do not necessarily need someone who can be a starter, just someone who can help be a pushing presence for the two young players.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are currently searching for a backup to Kyrie Irving. They would like it to be Matthew Dellavedova, but negotiations for the point guard are not developing well. Could Cleveland make a move for someone like Napier who has a lot of long-term upside? Prior to getting drafted to Miami, LeBron James took to Twitter to state how big of a fan he was of Napier. That could certainly influence the Cavaliers in a certain direction.
The Brooklyn Nets could be an option after dropping Deron Williams. The Pistons want another body behind Reggie Jackson and Brandon Jennings. The Heat have options they can try and push, but they would be wise to move quickly before teams make other plans.
