The Miami Heat have the talent to compete with anyone in the Eastern Conference, but there is one big hole they need to plug in order to do so. By now all Heat fans know that three-point shooting is a major issue and that they have been scouring the free agent and trade markets looking for shooters. If the Heat were to acquire a shooter they would have to free up a roster spot, so they have made Jarnell Stokes available in trade talks, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
Stokes was acquired by the Heat earlier this season in the trade that sent Mario Chalmers to the Memphis Grizzlies. At the time that trade seemed to favor the Heat, partially because of Stokes' potential. However, since Stokes joined the Heat he has only appeared in five games and played a total of 14 minutes. The 22-year-old forward has spent much of his time with the Heat in the D-League because they don't have playing time available to him.
The Heat are reportedly looking to trade Stokes for a second-round pick for a couple of reasons. One reason is that trading Stokes would free up a roster spot should the Heat decide to sign or trade for the shooter they so desperately need. Another reason to trade Stokes is that just in case they cannot acquire a shooter they will at least save some money against the luxury tax. Getting rid of Stokes would not get the Heat below the tax threshold they are trying to avoid, but it would represent a small amount of progress.
It is unclear how much interest Stokes will garner on the trade market, but if the Heat are only asking for a second-round pick a team with an open roster spot will likely take a chance on him. Stokes is a 6-foot-9 power forward in his second NBA season out of the University of Tennessee who has yet to get a real shot at proving what he can do in the pros.
Stokes was a second-round pick by the Utah Jazz in the 2014 NBA Draft so his ceiling isn't all that high, but he does do one thing extremely well and that's rebound. Manny Navarro of the Miami Herald said that Stokes could possibly be Udonis Haslem's future replacement, so he does have the potential to be a solid rotational player. Stokes is stuck on a team with a lot of depth, but should he be traded, which seems like a real possibility, he may get a chance to finish out the season on a strong note in some team's rotation.
