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President Pat Riley of the Miami Heat addresses the media during a press conference.

Set to enter their first full season without Jimmy Butler since 2019, the Miami Heat are in a new era of the franchise. With Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo, the Heat remain in a group of teams in the middle of the Eastern Conference, hoping for a playoff spot but lacking true championship aspirations. 

Now, in hopes of making a big move to land another franchise star, a recent mock trade was created, which sees Miami send away the main piece they got in the Butler trade. 

“For a Heat team in dire need of an offensive upgrade, [Lauri Markkanen] could be the cure to what ails them most,” Zach Buckley wrote in an article for Bleacher Report on a mock trade between the Miami Heat and Utah Jazz. “He’s a 7-footer who can toggle between the forward spots (and handle small-ball 5 duties in a pinch) and doesn’t need a ton of touches to make his presence felt.”

There have been conflicting reports over the offseason on the Heat’s real interest in exploring trade options with Wiggins. While the Jazz and Markkanen option remains intriguing, the former Warriors champion has also been linked to the Los Angeles Lakers. 

A Heat/Jazz Trade For Markkanen And Wiggins

As explained by Bleacher Report, the trade would surround both Markkanen and Andrew Wiggins as the centerpieces of this mock trade. The full deal would look something like this: 

Miami Heat receive: Lauri Markkanen, Georges Niang, and Kyle Filipowski

Utah Jazz receive: Andrew Wiggins, Nikola Jović, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Terry Rozier, a 2029 first-round pick (top-three protected), and a 2030 first-round pick swap

Miami would do this deal because, with Butler gone, they need another scorer, preferably someone who doesn’t take the ball out of Herro and Adebayo’s hands. 

“While he can create offense off the dribble and punish smaller defenders in the post, he’s just as useful as an off-ball play finisher,” Buckley wrote. “He’d also directly make life easier on Miami’s best players. His floor spacing would give Bam Adebayo more room to operate around the basket. His spot-up shooting and downhill finishing could help perk up the potency of Tyler Herro’s playmaking.”

Buckley also mentioned the Heat adding Norman Powell over the offseason after the wing player had a career year in 2024-25. Though he came in on a team-friendly deal, his contract, along with Markkanen’s, would cause some pressure on the salary cap, but would still likely be worth the financial pain. 

“And while adding Markkanen would be a different kind of animal—the four years and $195.9 million left on his contract might torpedo their long-term plans for future free agencies—it would also offer a much richer reward,” Buckley added. 

The reasons for Miami wanting a player like Markkanen remain obvious, especially in an injury-riddled East next year. For Utah, all indications show they are focused on the 2026 NBA Draft, and keeping Markkanen makes that task more difficult. 

Miami Is Interested In More Roster Changes

The addition of Powell after his 21.8 points per game average last season was the highlight of the Heat’s summer. They did lose Duncan Robinson, Kyle Anderson, and Kevin Love this offseason, but kept Davion Mitchell by re-signing the defensive ace on a two-year deal. 

Aside from those transactions, Miami has remained relatively quiet after the Butler trade for Wiggins in February. Yet still, the Heat could be set up to make more moves now, later in the summer, adding to an expected core next season of Herro, Powell, Wiggins, Adebayo, and Kel’el Ware.

In a recent article by Sports Illustrated, the potential addition of former Heat player Precious Achiuwa remains a possibility. Achiuwa played for the New York Knicks over the past two seasons, but as a free agent, could head to Miami before the 2025-26 season begins.

“Per a report from Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel , the Miami Heat has looked into re-adding Precious Achiuwa to their roster to assist with their deteriorating paint depth,” Sports Illustrated wrote. 

As of now, Miami has Ware and Adebayo as its only true big men who have a decent amount of experience in the NBA. With that, a trade for Markkanen, or adding a player like Achiuwa, becomes much more reasonable. The Heat have the wing and perimeter depth, but pale in the paint compared to teams like the Knicks, Denver Nuggets, or Dallas Mavericks. 

As long as team president Pat Riley remains in charge of the Heat, the team expects to stay competitive, making the potential addition of a big man, whether in free agency or through a trade, something to watch as the season approaches. 

Eli Gregorski is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy Sports. He has years of sports writing experience covering the NBA, NFL, college football and basketball, international soccer, and Formula One. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder, where he was the assistant sports editor for the award-winning CU Independent student publication. More about Eli Gregorski