Did the Miami Heat have a chance to avoid the blockbuster Karl-Anthony Towns trade?

The Miami Heat made minimal offseason changes, relegating them to the shadows of the Eastern Conference’s rising contenders.

The New York Knicks were already in the running, but increased their cap space on Friday by acquiring star Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Knicks parted ways with Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo and a first-round pick to sign Towns.

It appears the Heat had a chance to not only steal the spotlight, but also stop this blockbuster deal. NBA reporter Ian Begley of SNY reported that “Detroit, Atlanta, Miami and the other teams that NYK has discussed Julius Randle’s deals with, according to SNY sources.”

If the Heat had landed Randle earlier in the summer, Minnesota’s front office never would have considered New York as a destination for Towns. Instead, the Heat enter next season with the same core as in previous years.

According to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, the Wolves believe the acquisition of Randle and DiVincenzo maximizes their championship window with Anthony Edwards at the helm.

“The Wolves made the deal to maximize Edwards’ window of opportunity in the long term, team sources told The Athletic.” Krawczynski wrote. “The Wolves wanted to ensure that Edwards could be on a competitive playoff team for much longer than just the next two years and believe the flexibility this move provides will aid in that pursuit.”

The Heat are relying on their youth like Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kel’el Ware to make serious strides this season.

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Anthony Pasciolla is a writer for Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at [email protected] or follow him on X @AnthonyPasci.