The Miami Heat are short on superstar talent having lost Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline. Despite Butler’s exit, Erik Spoelstra’s team has started to figure things out and could emerge as a threat in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament.
Nevertheless, there’s a growing expectation that Miami goes star hunting during the summer. Kevin Durant is among the most logical trade targets. The veteran superstar is expected to become available as the Phoenix Suns look to re-tool their roster around Devin Booker.
However, Nick Wright of Fox Sports doesn’t see the Heat as a viable landing spot for Durant. The outspoken analyst doesn’t believe adding the star forward would be enough to catapult Miami back into contention.
“I don’t understand why Kevin Durant would have interest in Miami,” Wright said. “I understand it’s Miami, and they have a history, and the weather’s great. Durant is, even by NBA standards, super rich. He can go wherever he wants. He has ‘own your own plane’ money. This team would be drawing dead. Even if they kept Herro and Bam, that team is not winning four rounds.”
A trio of Durant, Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo is unlikely to be championship-worthy. However, with the right supporting cast and Erik Spoelstra calling the shots, it would be a hard roster to bet against.
Heat Among Durant’s Preferred Destinations
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Heat are among a handful of teams that are on Durant’s shortlist of preferred landing spots if he is traded.
“One thing to keep in mind, back at the NBA Trade Deadline in February, Minnesota, Miami, New York, San Antonio, and Houston were among the teams, I’m told, there was mutual interest between Durant and those teams,” Charania said. “I expect those teams and potentially others to be back in the fray this summer.”
Miami doesn’t have many tradable assets. As such, striking a deal for Durant could prove difficult. It’s likely that Kel’el Ware, Andrew Wiggins and potential Jaime Jaquez Jr. would all need to be part of the deal, and even then, it may not be enough.
Heat Face Uphill Battle to Fix Roster
In an April 3 article for Bleacher Report, Dan Favale shared his opinion that Miami is facing a tough task in terms of retooling the current roster.
“Miami doesn’t have the freedom to rebuild, is light on tradeable firsts even after scooping up Golden State’s for this year, and cannot carve out meaningful cap space until at least 2026,” Favale wrote. “The Heat have limited capacity to shake things up, and the odds of dramatic internal improvement rest predominantly with Ware or Jaime Jaquez Jr. (to a lesser extent these days). This is far from the league’s worst situation, but it’s not exactly an enviable position, either.”
Miami always finds a way to strengthen its roster. They’re a desirable landing spot for free agents, they draft well, and they’re opportunistic in the trade market. Adding a star like Durant could quickly change the team’s fortunes. However, if they miss out on adding another star, they will need to get creative if they want to compete at the top of the Eastern Conference next season.
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