The Miami Heat will enter the offseason with a superstar-sized hole in their rotation. Kevin Durant is heading into the summer with a sizeable portion of the NBA fanbase and media expecting him to be traded.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Durant sees Miami as a preferred trade destination.
“The Suns and Kevin Durant would work together on any trade,” Charania said. “…Back at the NBA trade deadline, there was a list of teams where there was mutual interest with Kevin Durant. That’s Minnesota, New York, Houston, San Antonio, Miami. Those are the types of team, from my understanding, that had interest then and I expect them to be in the mix in the offseason.”
Miami will undoubtedly face competition in any pursuit of Durant. However, he’s the type of player who would instantly fill the void left behind by Jimmy Butler. He would also easily slot next to Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, both of whom have been on an incredible run in recent weeks.
Whether the Heat have enough tradable pieces to be a legitimate contender to acquire Durant will remain to be seen. After all, the Phoenix Suns will likely be encouraging a bidding war for their top star. Still, if the Heat wants to bounce back into contention ahead of next season, Durant is the fastest way to achieve that goal.
Durant will be entering the final year of his $194 million deal next season. As such, any trade for the superstar will likely need assurances that he will re-sign with the franchise.
Celtics HC Praises Heat’s Approach in Win
On Wednesday, April 2, the Heat secured an impressive win over the Boston Celtics. During his postgame news conference, head coach Joe Mazzulla praised the way Miami approached the game and executed their game plan.
“Miami did a great job opening up the floor and putting pressure on the rim,” Mazzulla said. “…We obviously fouled some jump shooters…They did a good job with their ball pressure and physicality. Credit to them, they’re playing well right now, and I thought they played better than us.”
The Heat have won their last six games. Erik Spoelstra’s team are starting to show signs of gelling, with Kyle Anderson, Davion Mitchell and Pelle Larsson all impressing over the past week or two.
Heat Fan Favorite Could Return to the Organization
According to Ethan Skolnick of Five Reasons Sports, Goran Dragic could be re-uniting with the Heat during the summer. The former point guard is expected to join the organization in some capacity ahead of the 2025-26 season.
“Goran’s been around the organization a lot lately, and I expect him to be part of the organization next year,” Skolnick said on a April 1 podcast. “I think that’s the way that this is trending. Also, I talked to Goran last year, and he said he wanted one year to kind of get his life where he wanted it, and then probably want to be with the Heat organization. You see him everywhere now — he’s doing community events and all that.”
Dragic could help pass his knowledge onto the young guards in the Heat’s rotation. Since he left the franchise, Miami has struggled to find its point guard of the future. Terry Rozier is the latest to try and fail at securing that spot long-term. It remains to be seen whether Dragic will join the Heat in some capacity. Furthermore, there has been no reporting on his potential role.
