Report: Heat making two starters available for trade

The Miami Heat may be ready to shake up the Etch-A-Sketch around their Big Three.

Appearing this week on the “Locked on Heat” podcast, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports revealed that the Heat are making two starters available for trade – guard Kyle Lowry and forward Nikola Jovic. Fischer notes that the rest of the league has been made aware that those two Miami players would potentially be on the table before the Feb. 8 deadline.

The 20-year-old Jovic – who has been starting for the Heat lately with Butler and Jaime Jaquez Jr. in and out of the lineup - is obviously the higher-ceiling piece. Jovic is a talented ball-handler and playmaker with size and shooting ability (though one who still requires far more development than fellow youngster Jaquez).

Lowry, meanwhile, continues to does all the little things as Miami’s starting point guard. Though he barely looks for his own shot anymore, the veteran is still picking his spots in the halfcourt, making timely threes, hitting cutters and drawing charges. But Lowry will soon be 38 and becomes a free agent after the season.

Miami might be wise to save their best assets for the offseason and make another run at this All-Star trade target of theirs. But it would also benefit them to get value back for Lowry right now before his contract expires (with Jovic also perhaps functioning as an upside piece to grease the wheels on a potential trade).