The Miami Heat dropped another double-digit lead as they fell to the Chicago Bulls on Saturday, March 8. This was the eighth game this season where the Heat had led by double figures only to be chased down and ultimately leave the arena with a loss.
During his postgame news conference, Tyler Herro gave a blunt response when asked how Miami could fix their inability to hold onto leads.
“S***, if we knew we would do it, not really sure how to get over the hurdle right now but just continuing to stick with it,” Herro said.
The Heat are currently ninth in the Eastern Conference. They’re half a game behind the Atlanta Hawks in seventh. As such, Miami has the opportunity to qualify for the postseason via the play-in tournament. However, if the Heat want to make some noise during the playoffs, they must learn to hold onto leads.
Unfortunately, Miami lost a significant portion of its shot creation when it traded Jimmy Butler. Therefore, any postseason run the franchise embarks on, will likely be short-lived.
Trade Proposal Lands Kevin Durant With Heat
Butler’s exit has left the Heat short on star power. Fortunately, the opportunity to play on South Beach is a considerable draw for players around the league. Furthermore, Pat Riley is known for striking deals to bring elite players into the franchise.
According to ESPN’s Kevin Pelton, Miami should explore a potential trade for Kevin Durant this summer. Pelton’s trade proposal looks like this:
Heat Get: Kevin Durant
Suns Get: Andrew Wiggins, either Jaime Jaquez Jr. or Nikola Jovic and draft picks.
“The Heat might not expect to add anyone better in 2026 than Kevin Durant,” Pelton explained. “If so, they should look to speed up the process — and avoid Durant being traded from Phoenix to a situation where he too would extend his contract — by acquiring him this summer.”
Pelton continued.
“If Miami could find a taker for Duncan Robinson, whose $19.9 million salary would have to be fully guaranteed for matching purposes, a package built around Wiggins and either Jaime Jaquez Jr. or Nikola Jovic, plus draft picks, would save Phoenix about $20 million in 2025-26 salary.”
Durant would be the ideal star addition next to Bam Adebayo. However, the Heat will undoubtedly face stern competition for Durant this summer. The veteran All-Star is expected to be available for trade, as the Phoenix Suns begin to pivot from their failing roster.
Heat’s Roster Is Relieved at Trading Butler
Despite their inconsistent form, it would appear multiple members of Miami’s roster are pleased to see Butler leave the franchise.
“The relief in that building that Jimmy Butler is gone, not just because of what’s happened over the last couple months, but because of how things were bent to him,” Le Batard said via his ‘The Dan Le Batard Show’ on March 6. “If you talk to enough Heat people, you will know they felt like they were dealing with something. And they were not saying this publicly in any way, an unstable ingredient that they used as a furnace and fuel to get a championship. Then when it became about money problems, nobody wanted to be at work.”
Butler has hit the ground running for the Golden State Warriors. Nevertheless, the Heat are expected to re-tool over the summer. Acquiring Durant could be the first step in that re-tooling process. However, Riley must also focus on improving the supporting cast. For now, though, Erik Spoelstra must persevere with the roster at hand.
