While Miami Heat rumors have generally been quiet so far this offseason, there are some possibilities popping up including an NBA trade in the future. A speculated deal by one journalist has the Heat sending away their big man Hassan Whiteside in order to try to clear space for one of the league's top All-Star free agents. With Miami having recently drafted another center through last Thursday's NBA Draft, could this be part of Pat Riley's plan to bring Blake Griffin to the lineup? Here are the latest Heat rumors that could be taking the internet by storm in the future.

Heat draft Bam

With the No. 14 pick in last NBA's Draft, the Miami Heat chose Kentucky Wildcats big man Edrice "Bam" Adebayo. He was the third pick in the top 14 for Kentucky, joining teammates De'Aaron Fox and Malik Monk. In just over 30 minutes per game for his college career, the 6-foot-10 center had 13 points, eight rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. Bam was just a freshman, but at 242 pounds, he's already got the size to start developing as another decent big man in the league.

It's speculated by Hot Hot Hoops' Binoj Jacob that Adebayo could become part of the Heat lineup alongside Hassan Whiteside. While he's expected to be a backup for the Heat star, it's also possible that Adebayo could show that he's deserving of a bigger role, such as the starter.

That could also give enough reason for the Miami Heat to move away from Hassan Whiteside, if one could fathom that right now, in favor of a different sort of roster.

Bring Blake to Heat?

Jacob goes on to speculate that trading Hassan Whiteside away in order to free up salary space is conceivable. That could be the move that Pat Riley uses to bring a free agent of Blake Griffin's caliber to the Miami Heat.

Both Griffin and Chris Paul recently opted to become free agents this summer, and it's beginning to seem like one or both players may leave the Los Angeles Clippers. The Miami Heat could be the new landing spot for Griffin, but they'd need the salary space to sign him to the type of contract he'd demand.

As of right now, it's still way too early to call Bam Adebayo a successor for Hassan Whiteside.

In addition to that, the Miami Heat appears to be one of the teams that will pursue All-Star Gordon Hayward, another free agent. That would add the scoring and other abilities of the Utah Jazz star to a lineup that includes Goran Dragic and Whiteside as well as young stars like Justise Winslow, Josh Richardson, and Tyler Johnson.

With the Heat a team that was already on the cusp of making the playoffs, it's not far-fetched to believe they will get into the postseason in the 2017-18 campaign. However, to get to that next level of competition, they may need to ultimately move on from a star of Whiteside's caliber in favor of another. Will Blake Griffin be their new star in the future?
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