The Miami Heat are having a franchise-changing offseason thus far. The team went out and finally landed the big-name star they’ve wanted for years in Giannis Antetokounmpo as part of one of the biggest blockbuster deals of the decade. However, given Antetokounmpo’s caliber of play, the team had to part with multiple players including 2025 All-Star Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kasparas Jakucionis while also adding Bobby Portis in that same trade. Miami also lost 2026 All-Star guard Norman Powell to the Chicago Bulls in free agency but signed Tim Hardaway Jr. to a one-year deal while also bringing back Simone Fontecchio for another year.
There is one player in the current Heat rotation who the team could be actively trying to shop around the league. Nikola Jovic, the team’s first-round pick from 2022, signed a four-year rookie contract extension worth $62.4 million prior to last season. Pat Riley really liked what he had to offer for the foreseeable future. However, it seems the team is already regretting that contract decision as Jovic was basically a non-factor down the stretch of the regular season, only appearing in eight games post-January. There are some players out there in trade discussions who come close to matching Jovic’s new salary but Miami may need to attach a pick alongside the young forward. Here is a possible trade involving Jovic that could happen prior to next season:
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Heat receive: G Scoot Henderson
Trail Blazers receive: F Nikola Jovic, 2029 protected first-round draft pick
Henderson, 22, has been a relatively polarizing player throughout the beginning of his career. He was a highly touted prospect in the 2023 draft and was selected at No. 3 by Portland. However, he had immediate growing pains at the NBA level. Those inconsistencies continued into his sophomore season before he suffered a hamstring tear, sidelining him for most of the 2025-26 campaign. He did show strides in his limited appearances this past season but the Trail Blazers recently traded for Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant and now have a plethora of backcourt options. Henderson could be the odd man out, especially when he is nearing a contract extension decision and the Heat could take a chance on the young guard. Henderson could join a unit that would like to add a sharp guard outside of Davion Mitchell.
Although Jovic has been rather disappointing over the last couple of seasons, there still may be a market for him as he is quite young and could be developed as a solid forward.
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