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OTG's NBA Trade Deadline Marathon: Day 2

Dennis Dow

On paper, this trade makes sense on a few levels. Tyreke Evans is wasted on the Memphis Grizzlies. He has shown that this is a special year for him and he needs to be put onto a team as a bench scorer that can get buckets. The Miami Heat are in need of that kind of scoring.

They have done well with a score by committee approach, but adding Evans to the fold puts them at another level. Evans is putting up career numbers and is shooting 40% from three this season. The Heat are going to be without Dion Waiters for the rest of the season and Tyler Johnson just went down with an injury. This trade would solve those issues by adding a wing with Evans capability to be a lead ball handler and hold his own defensively.

The Heat do have to part with Justise Winslow, but things have not gone well and there are plenty of suitable replacements for his minutes. Winslow is still young and he has value for a Grizzlies team that is without a great deal of young talent. Winslow still has a year left on his rookie deal and the Grizzlies will have plenty of time to figure out if they would like to keep him past his rookie deal.

The Heat on the other hand can say goodbye to Tyreke Evans after this season without any kind of hit to their cap space. That poses the question, why do this when it would only be for the rest of this season and the playoffs? That is a great question and I have an answer.

There is no reason to believe that the East is not wide open right now. Cleveland is free falling, Boston is beatable, and the Raptors are the Raptors. The Heat are currently .5 a game behind the Cavaliers for the third spot and are a game and a half ahead of the Wizards. Why not go for it? There are plenty of scenarios where the Heat could end up in the Finals and I would not be surprised. They have guys that can play and they have young guys that are coming into their own. Adding a scorer of Evans caliber would do much to help them in a playoff series.

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