#miami-heat

#miami-heat

In somewhat of a surprising move, the 76ers traded Jared McCain to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for a first-round pick and three second-round picks. It's a move that may not make much sense now, especially with McCain in just his second season, but it's also a trade that could pay dividends for the team in the future.

Some fans don't understand it, but it's easy to see why Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra values Dru Smith. It's because he falls right in line with previous developmental success stories of guards who can't really shoot the basketball efficiently, but can do virtually everything else. Smith epitomizes Heat culture, and in small doses, has proven to be quite productive for the organization. Perhaps most importantly, he's a true competitor. And that's what Spo has to like best.

"While he's been out, I think [Kasparas Jakucionis] and [Dru Smith] have done a very good job with (team's point of attack defense, pace)," Spoelstra said, according to Clutch Points' Zachary Weinberger. "We miss him, but we want to be smart about it. ... We're going to continue to treat him. He's doing more and more on the court, and when he's ready, he'll be ready."

In their win over the reigning champions, the Miami Heat hauled down 21 offensive rebounds, a season-high at the time. They didn't shoot the bal well, knocking down just 36.9 percent of their attempts. But Miami generated 34 more attempts than OKC. That marked the biggest FGA discrepancy by any team in any single game this year, with a plus-16 advantage on the offensive glass and a plus-five advantage on the glass entirely.

The Miami Heat cruised to a 147-116 win over the Utah Jazz inside Delta Center, tying their season high in total points scored. It marked the eighth time the Heat have scored at least 140 points this season after doing so eight combined times in the franchise's first 37 seasons. As a result of its dominant 31-point win, the Heat avoided dropping to .500, improving to 24-22.

As we briefed here, the Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors cannot legally do a one-for-one swap between Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga. The Warriors are hard-capped below the second apron, and such a swap would put them over. The only feasible way is if the Warriors trim salary either 1.) in this trade or 2.) in a separate deal (as a salary dump). They are less than $300K away from the hard cap. There is little margin for error in what they can send out relative to what they can bring back.

The Heat are coming off an ugly 127-110 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, who more than doubled the Heat up from 3-point range (20-9). Portland was led by Shaedon Sharpe's 27 points, outscoring the Heat in the second half, 63-47. Miami is 1-2 on its current road trip, with its lone win coming in Sacramento earlier this week. The Jazz, meanwhile, are losers of four of their last five, including a 126-109 loss to the San Antonio Spurs in their most recent affair.