With the Heat amid the NBA Summer League, there are still headlines about what the team will do after striking out on the sweepstakes to acquire star Kevin Durant, as he is now with the Houston Rockets. As the rumors continue to swirl around the Heat and why the team didn’t obtain Durant, one part surrounds Kel’el Ware, the first-round pick from the 2024 NBA Draft.
Many reports cited Ware as being a piece that the team didn’t want to part with to get Durant. Meaning, the team sees immense potential in Ware who had an impressive rookie season and looks to grow in his second year.
There’s no doubt that Ware was cognizant of the news and upon hearing his involvement, he would say that it made him feel “wanted” by and wanted to “repay” them by proving them right, according to The Miami Herald.
“It made me feel the Heat wanted me and they want to see how far I can get in the future and see how my development goes,” Ware said before Saturday’s Summer League opening win over the San Antonio Spurs. “That makes me want to show them what I can do and how far I can go. They see the potential in me and they see what I can be. So my main goal is to just sort of repay that they didn’t make a mistake.”
“I didn’t really see too much of it,” Ware said in regards to the trade rumors. “It was one of the things I was like if it happens, it happens. If not, it doesn’t. You got to think the Heat didn’t want to give me up, but that means the other team wanted me. I didn’t really pay no mind to it.”
Heat’s Kel’el Ware on what he wants to show this offseason
While the Heat has reported interest in other stars such as Damian Lillard or Bradley Beal, the team is going through a form of a youth movement as, besides the featured duo of Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, players are looking to develop significantly. Ware is the main piece of that after a strong season, giving the team much-needed size while being exceptionally athletic and having some offensive versatility.
Besides players like Nikola Jovic, Jaime Jaquez Jr., the new first-round pick in Kasparas Jakucionis, and others, Ware is looking to elevate in year two, as he spoke about what he wants to show this summer and how it involves the weight room.
“My goals for the offseason and in the summer league is to show that I added more to my game, that I’ve gotten strong in the weight room,” Ware said. “Just showing that I can be a force out there and be dominant.”
Ware would say that the team wants him to hit 250 pounds, as getting bigger and stronger had been a focal point right when Miami drafted him. While he didn’t play much in the first half besides some spurts, he showed out in the second, becoming a mainstay starting center.
He would make the NBA’s All-Rookie second team and looks to make a bigger impact in his second season. He is currently with the Summer League team as they next play on Sunday against the Los Angeles Lakers.
