The Miami Heat could be among the teams monitoring John Wall's growing frustrations with the Washington Wizards.
Speculations about Wall's immediate future with the Wizards became rampant, with Wall's frustrations over the team's inconsistency are mounting. After Wall's 52-point outburst against the Orlando Magic earlier this month, the All-Star point guard voiced his frustrations with the team's lack of effort on both ends of the floor.
"Everybody has a job and they have to go work hard. Our job is to come here and play hard and compete. That's the easiest thing that you should do without any contracts or money: just come out and play basketball," Wall said, reports CBS Local.
There are rumors about Wall possibly getting traded if the Wizards continue to struggle this season. And while the Wizards are unlikely to trade Wall before the deadline, many teams would surely attempt to pry the star point guard out of Washington. The Miami Heat could be one of the teams interested to acquire Wall.
After losing Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade in the offseason, the Heat are without an All-Star caliber player. Bringing in Wall would fill that void, giving Miami a young veteran who could help the team become a legit contender in the East.
While the Heat have yet to show interest in trading for Wall, Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel believes Wall's situation in Washington is the kind of opportunity Heat president Pat Riley could take advantage of.
"Yet the one thing I will acknowledge is that there do appear to be chemistry issues with the Wizards, something a coaching change seemingly hasn't solved. And the one thing about Riley is that distressed property does seem to be his real estate, be it Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway, Shaquille O'Neal or even Dragic, himself," Winderman noted.
However, trading for Wall would surely require the Heat to give up a key player, young talents and picks. Any potential deal could include Goran Dragic, who, according to ESPN's Marc Stein, could be a likely trade candidate if Miami continues to struggle.
At this point it is still too early to assess whether the Heat would have a chance at competing in the postseason. But sitting at No. 13 in the East, it would be a tough road for Miami to get back on winning track. Trading for Wall may not help the Heat immediately, but it is a good start if they wish to get back in the NBA map.
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