The Miami Heat put themselves in win-now mode when they acquired Jimmy Butler via a sign-and-trade deal with the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2019 NBA free agency. However, with the emergence of numerous powerhouse teams in the Eastern Conference, the Heat must be aware that Butler, alone, won’t be enough to make them a legitimate title contender. To strengthen their chance of dominating the Eastern Conference and winning the NBA championship, the Heat should prioritize pairing Butler with another superstar before the 2020 February NBA trade deadline.

In his recent article, Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report mentioned one player every team should target before the 2020 February NBA trade deadline. For the Heat, Buckley suggested that they could go after Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors. If the price is right, Buckley believes that Lowry would be a great co-star alongside Jimmy Butler and could create enough impact to help the Heat compete for a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference in the 2019-20 NBA season.

In the proposed trade deal by Preston Ellis of Bleacher Report, the Heat would be sending a trade package including Tyler Herro, James Johnson, and Goran Dragic to the Raptors in exchange for Kyle Lowry and Matt Thomas.

“The Heat give up quite a bit by including 2019’s No. 13 pick, Tyler Herro, in a deal for a player with an expiring contract who will turn 34 in March. However, Miami will have to surrender a significant asset to dump James Johnson and his remaining two years and $31 million. The Heat can’t trade a first-round pick until 2025, thus Herro’s inclusion. And Kyle Lowry is worth every bit of the price. The NBA champ finished fifth in real plus-minus in 2018-19, ahead of Jrue Holiday, Kyrie Irving, Mike Conley and Kemba Walker, trailing only Stephen Curry, James Harden, Damian Lillard and Chris Paul.”

Who should partner Kyle Lowry in the Toronto Raptors backcourt?https://t.co/QTOdHFOyG5 — Raptors Rapture (@raptorsrapture) August 21, 2019

Kyle Lowry would undeniably be an incredible addition to the Heat, giving them an All-Star caliber point guard with championship experience. Last season, Lowry averaged 14.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 8.7 assists, and 1.4 steals while shooting 41.1 percent from the field, and 34.7 percent from beyond the arc. With the years he spent playing with the likes of DeMar DeRozan and Kawhi Leonard in Toronto, Lowry wouldn’t have a hard time building good chemistry with Jimmy Butler in Miami.

Meanwhile, in exchange for Kyle Lowry, the Raptors would be acquiring a young and promising talent in Tyler Herro, who could be part of the next title-contending team that they are planning to build. The Raptors could use Goran Dragic’s expiring contract to acquire more future draft assets before the 2020 February NBA trade deadline.