NBA Trade Rumors: Atlanta Hawks Sending Paul Millsap To The Miami Heat

Paul Millsap is one of the players that is rumored to be on the way out of his team before the trade deadline. He has already been linked to multiple teams including the Celtics and the Toronto Raptors. However, recent signs point that Paul Millsap might just be going to an entirely different team in the East – The Miami Heat.

According to ESPN, Paul Millsap has already stated that the Atlanta Hawks already assured him that he won’t get traded. However, this must be taken with a grain of salt as most teams pacify their stars who are on the trading block. It will really be difficult to see any scenario that does not have Paul Millsap getting traded before the deadline. He will become a free agent and all the trade rumors have surely left a bad taste in the power forward’s mouth. Trade Millsap now or risk losing him for nothing next year.

The Miami Heat is one of the teams that are in the running for Paul Millsap. According to Fansided, the Miami Heat have the tools to make this trade work. This is a particularly interesting prospect for the Heat as they are currently near the bottom of the pile in the East. Flipping their roster to include Paul Millsap might not give the Miami Heat a playoff spot, but it would certainly make the Heat’s future really bright.

Paul Millsap might not be one of those flashy names. But he is a solid big man with some serious defensive talents. The Miami Heat will have one of the most imposing frontcourts when it comes to defense. Hassan Whiteside is probably the best rim protector in the NBA and the Heat adding Paul Millsap will give them one of the best one on one defender on the fourth spot. The Miami Heat will be one of the teams that can give small ball teams a hard time.

Paul Millsap is also a capable cleaner of the boards. If the Miami Heat can nab him alongside premiere defender, Hassan Whiteside, then the Heat might just make it to the top in terms of team rebounding. Opposing teams will have a difficult time getting second chance possessions as the frontcourt of Whiteside and Millsap will take a lot of space inside.

The Miami Heat will also get another capable scoring option. One of the problems of the Heat is that they lack the scoring punch to keep up with other teams. Miami relies on Goran Dragic and the occasional outbursts of Dion Waiters. While Hassan Whiteside has improved on offense, the Heat will probably have to accept that Whiteside lacks the fundamentals to be a great offensive player. This is where Paul Millsap can help the Miami Heat because he is an excellent post player and can average up to 20 ppg for the lackluster Heat.

However, the Miami Heat will have to take risks and sacrifice the future for Millsap. According to the same sources, the Heat will have to give up young guns like Tyler Johnson and Justise Winslow. This is going to be a pretty risky move for Miami as they are essentially giving up on a possible reboot for a star that could walk away when the season ends.

While Paul Millsap, Goran Dragic, and Hassan Whiteside trio might sound like a win for Miami Heat fans, getting them would depend on how Miami wants to go moving forward. If the Heat trades Goran Dragic, as speculated by a lot of news sites, then Miami is definitely heading into a rebuild and getting Millsap makes absolutely no sense for them.

The trade deadline is just a few weeks away and the Miami Heat is rumoured to start making moves. Only time will tell which direction the Heat goes.

[Featured Image by Todd Kirkland/AP Images]