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Heat Can't Pull Off Trade

MIAMI (CBS4) - The NBA trade deadline has passed and to no one's surprise, the Miami Heat couldn't find a trade partner for the disappointing Mike Miller.

The Heat is in desperate need of both an athletic big man, and a true point guard. The Heat would say they are comfortable with whom they have, but league observers point to the Heat's lack of success against good teams as potential problems.

Heat president told Mike Miller he wasn't being dangled, but league sources said Miller was in fact on the open market.

But all is not lost for the Heat. The Celtics made a head-scratching move that sent one of their best big men, Kendrick Perkins, and backup point guard Nate Robinson to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a package that included Jeff Green.

The Celtics, presumably Miami's biggest challenger in the Eastern Conference, is now left with Shaquille O'Neal and Nenad Krystic to man the middle. Neither is at the same level as Perkins, but the Celtics also have Jermaine O'Neal, who is recovering from knee surgery.

The trade deadline also saw the New York Knicks acquire two big pieces of the puzzle with the acquisition of Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups. The problem for New York is neither Carmelo, nor Amare Stoudemire, can play a lick of defense.

For the Heat, they now must turn to the players who are likely to be bought out by Friday afternoon. One player likely to be bought out that the Heat would try to jump on is T.J. Ford of the Indiana Pacers.

Ford has averaged 11.5 points and 6 assists per game for his career, and even with an injury history, Ford could provide a nice rotation with Mario Chalmers during the playoff push.

But, Ford is likely to end up in Portland if he's bought out because the Trail Blazers can offer two things: more money, and Ford's former Texas teammate, LaMarcus Aldridge.

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