NBA Rumors: Miami Heat linked with former LA Lakers star and PJ Washington

Recent NBA rumors have seen the Miami Heat linked with several teams for potential trade talks. With former LA Lakers star Kyle Kuzma and PJ Washington on Miami's radar, the Heat could be moving in a different direction.

The Miami Heat have been pursuing some backup pieces to fortify their roster this season. Considering that Miami are still served some by some talented players, the team is in desperate need of role players to round out their bench.

In this regard, the Heat have repeatedly been linked to Phoenix Suns forward Jae Crowder. Considering that he was a former Heat player, Miami showed a lot of interest in pursuing the sharpshooting forward.

However, Miami hasn't restricted their pursuit to the Suns forward alone. As per Heavy.com's Thomas Darro, the Miami Heat have also shown interest in Kyle Kuzma, Taj Gibson and PJ Washington.

Darro mentioned this in his article. While referring to a report by Sean Deveney, he wrote:

"Kyle Kuzma and Taj Gibson aren’t the only potential moves that the Heat have been linked to recently. Deveney also links them to PJ Washington from the Charlotte Hornets as well as finalizing a reunion between Crowder and the Heat. But another has been Bojan Bogdanovic from the Detroit Pistons, and Lauri Markannen from the Utah Jazz.”

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Darro's article suggests that the Heat are in desperate need of a sharpshooting forward. The interest in players such as Kuzma, Washington and even Bojan Bogdanovic is valid in this regard.

Kuzma and Washington emerged as more idealistic moves as they could assimilate into the system.

The Heat's intentions to move Duncan Robinson are well known at this point. While Caleb Martin is being asked to fill in at the forward position, he may be overextended. Overall, the Heat will remain on the lookout for a potential trade.

The Miami Heat need a genuine stretch 4

The Miami Heat are undoubtedly one of the best teams in the NBA. While they haven't been title contenders since the 2020 playoffs, the Heat have consistently been a threat in the playoffs.

While they finished their last regular-season as the first-seed in the East, the Heat find themselves in a vastly different situation now. Having lost three of their first four games, Miami look completely out of sorts.

A large reason for their inconsistent performances could be attributed to the lack of size on their roster. While the Heat have been a fairly successful team playing small-ball, having some size is definitely helpful. The pursuit of a bonafide stretch 4 could aid their pursuit of competing for the title.

With Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo leading the side, the Heat are in need of a solid big man. Kyle Kuzma and PJ Washington definitely fit the bill in this regard.

Kuzma could be a particularly interesting fit with Miami. Given his renewed offensive prowess and sustained efficiency on the rebounding and defensive fronts, Kuz could easily assimilate into Miami's system as well.

The Heat also have an interesting rookie in Nikola Jovic on their roster. With his development also being worth following, they will have to make their next move very carefully.