Carmelo Anthony and the Miami Heat Need Each Other

Reportedly, the Miami Heat and Carmelo Anthony are both considering swiping right on the NBA free agency Tinder app. They should do it. The timing is right. They need each other. The whole idea makes too much sense. Seal the deal.

Carmelo Anthony is coming off, somehow, both one of his best seasons as a pro and one of his worst. The 169 three-pointers he drained last season were a career high, but so were the 474 attempts. His overall fit with the Oklahoma City Thunder ended up an expensive disaster. This season the team wants nothing to do with Anthony and his $27 million contract (which would trigger a $100 million tax luxury payment). Anthony wanted his damn money and opted into the huge contract laughing all the way to the bank, knowing full well his market value was way less.

Something had to give. Reports are that Anthony is zeroing in on a possible buyout, and the Heat is among the frontrunners to acquire him at a bargain price. The Heat should be interested. The team needs Melo. Not to win a championship, but to inject some much-needed life into the franchise.

The Heat desperately needs a jolt. The club must find some excitement this year, some form of star power with Dwyane Wade entering what is likely his final season on a roster full of high-priced role players. Miami needs something for fans and the media to talk about. Riley should make a move with a high ceiling, not just a high floor — the kind of move the Heat hasn't tried the last two seasons.

Carmelo, for better or worse, brings excitement. He's a star. An aging star, yes, but still an NBA star. The Heat hasn't had one of those lately, and with an NBA championship obviously out of reach for the foreseeable future, some sort of buzz would be welcome in place of actually contending. Pat Riley craves star power and has an even bigger fetish for disgruntled stars who need a change of scenery. Melo checks all those boxes. He seems like a perfect fit.

Diehard fans can clutch their jerseys and tout the work ethic of James Johnson and other do-gooders, but the result will always be the same with the Heat's current roster. It's a capable team that tries super-hard to win a couple games in the first round of the playoffs. Carmelo in the Heat's system could be a game changer. He would make the team a viable contender with an outside shot of making moves in the up-for-grabs Eastern Conference. He's a scorer, something the Heat lacks.

If the Heat can work its magic on his defensive work ethic, Melo could be the steal of the offseason. If the move explodes in the team's face, it loses little. Next season is already destined to be much of the same mediocrity seen the last two seasons. Change it up and take a chance on Carmelo. The time is right.