Miami has continued to trend in the wrong direction since LeBron James left back in 2014, winning just one playoff game in the past three seasons, and despite playing in an-historically weak Eastern Conference this season, the Heat could only manage a 10th place finish.

With Wade now gone, the Heat may finally pull the trigger and make much-needed changes to an underwhelming roster, and here are three players that are being linked with a move to Miami.

#3 JR Smith

After publicly criticizing the direction of the Cavs, J.R. Smith has found himself exiled since November. The veteran played just 11 times during the 18/19 season, and Smith has been instructed to find a new team.

Evidently, Smith is not a player who can help usher in a new era in Miami, although Ryan Yousefi of the Miami New Times suggests that trading Smith could help speed up the roster rebuild:

#2 Gordon Hayward

Gordon Hayward has endured a miserable two years in Boston, although there are still some around the league that believe that he could rekindle the form he showed during his time with the Jazz.

In order to land Hayward, the Heat would need to include Hassan Whiteside or Goran Dragic in a potential trade, and Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel suggests a deal could happen due to the Celtics’ desire to offload the remaining two years of Hayward’s contract

Hayward played 72 times this season, averaging 11.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game.

#1 Blake Griffin

After suffering from persistent injuries over the past five years, many around the NBA had written off Blake Griffin’s days as an All-Star. However, during his first full season in Detroit, Griffin averaged 24.5 points, and 7.5 rebounds per game – securing his first All-Star call-up since 2015.

However, the Pistons once again fell short of their ambitions to challenge in the East, and Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report has suggested that Griffin be a Miami trade target:

Griffin is currently signed to a five-year, $173 million contract, so his arrival would depend on the Heat’s ability to offload Hassan Whiteside.

0 votes