How the Heat’s trade for Andre Iguodala affects the Toronto Raptors

The trade

The race for Andre Iguodala was well and truly on towards the deadline, and it felt like the Miami Heat sprang out of nowhere to get him. Originally, it seemed more than likely that Iguodala would end up in LA somehow, most likely with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Instead, the Heat stepped up to the plate to get their guy. The first thought is that it’s a little hard to really know what to expect from Iguodala – he hasn’t played a game since Game 6 of the NBA Finals when he scored 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field and 3-of-6 from deep.

There’s also the concern with his age. Iguodala is now 36 years old and hasn’t played in eight months. But, at the same time, he’s been working out and is well-rested. Will it translate onto the court, though?

If it does, then look out. At his best, Iguodala is an elite defender whose performances in the 2014-15 NBA Finals earned him the Finals MVP award. That was five years ago now, so it’s hard to expect the same results. Against the Raptors last season, Iguodala looked good in stretches and then pretty poor in other phases.

For the Heat, this is based upon a win-now standpoint, and that’s why they gave Iguodala a two-year $30million extension with a team option for the 2021-22 season. That gives the Heat a little bit of flexibility heading into the vaunted free agency of 2021, where Giannis Antetokounmpo will headline should he not re-sign with the Milwaukee Bucks.

The additions of Jae Crowder and Solomon Hill are nice, but giving up Justise Winslow is a bit of a tough blow to take. Winslow is only 23 years old but has only played 11 games this season, the former 10th overall pick still has a lot of time to live up to his potential.

If the Heat don’t make a significant impact in the playoffs with Iguodala, they might rue their decision should Winslow turn out to be a great player.