Miami Heat: A

The best way I can summarize this trade for the Heat is with a popular quote from the sitcom "Arrested Development" on the day its star Jessica Walter died at age 80: "That was a freebie."

Harkless hadn't fit at all as a hypothetical replacement for Jae Crowder with the Heat. Since returning from a thigh contusion in mid-February, he has seen action in just two games. So Miami had to be thrilled to swap him for Bjelica without having to include any draft picks.

Bjelica has been out of the rotation too, but don't mistake his reduced rule this season for a commentary on his play. A starter the past two seasons for the Kings, Bjelica lost his job because of the organization's mandate to develop Marvin Bagley III as its power forward of the future. Although Bjelica has struggled beyond the arc (29%), that's come on just 58 shot attempts, a trivial sample compared to his career 39% mark on more than 1,100 shots.

Bjelica has also compensated by playing more near the basket. He's hitting a career-high 56.5% of his 2-point attempts and getting to the free throw line far more often than in his first two years in Sacramento, keeping his true shooting percentage (.555) in the same ballpark as that of incumbent Heat power forward Kelly Olynyk, who was dealt to the Houston Rockets as part of the return for Victor Oladipo.

Offensively, Bjelica is a clean fit in Miami because he can do a little of everything. It's easy to forget given what a shooting specialist Bjelica has become in the NBA that he was something of a point forward in Europe. He retains playmaking ability and this season's 4.0 assists per 36 minutes are a career high.

The question is how well Bjelica can hold up defensively in the postseason crucible. He has appeared in just one playoff series in his career, playing 9.4 MPG off the bench for the Minnesota Timberwolves in their 2018 series loss to the Rockets. For a power forward, Bjelica provides little rim protection. Opponents have made 67% of their shots in the restricted area with Bjelica as the closest defender during his NBA career per Second Spectrum tracking, putting him 53rd among the 62 players who have defended at least 1,000 such shots. That only seems to be getting worse; Bjelica has blocked just two shots all season.

However, Bjelica has been surprisingly effective in switching situations. Among defenders who've switched at least 250 on-ball screens since 2015-16, the 0.84 points per chance against Bjelica ranks in the league's top 10 percent, according to Second Spectrum. He'll also be protected from having to be a primary rim defender in Erik Spoelstra's zone defenses. Anything Bjelica gives the Heat the rest of the season will surely be an upgrade on Harkless.

Miami also had to send back Silva, who has played sparingly due to injury and the addition of first-round pick Precious Achiuwa, to match salary. That move means the Heat have just enough room remaining under the tax to add a player making the veteran's minimum, a spot they surely have ticketed for LaMarcus Aldridge after his buyout agreement with the San Antonio Spurs.

Sacramento Kings: B-

The market for Bjelica evidently wasn't what the Kings hoped, and I can't help but wonder if they could have gotten more for him last offseason before he became unhappy with his lack of playing time. As it was, Sacramento probably chose adding Harkless and Silva over simply buying out Bjelica, which would likely have netted similar savings.

Despite his flameout with Miami, there might be a role for Harkless with the Kings, who are evidently still pushing for a spot in the play-in tournament. Playing him with the bigger Harrison Barnes could help compensate for Harkless' physical disadvantage against power forwards, an issue with the Heat. Sacramento also gets a free look at Silva, a capable shot-blocker, before deciding on his $1.8 million team option for 2021-22.