Could Nets’ Kevin Durant really move to the Miami Heat?
The Nets star looks determined to set the terms of how any move will go down. The question is does that work for the franchise?
With Kevin Durant having sent ripples around the NBA after he requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets, we now turn our attention to where he might end up and on what conditions.
Kevin Durant wants the Miami Heat IF their stars stay
The Brooklyn Nets have a mountain to climb at the moment. Their biggest star just asked for a trade and as such they need to insure that they get value in return, something that may prove extremely difficult to achieve. Not only do the Nets now have to do battle with other teams, but it appears they have a fight on their hands with the player himself. Per reports, Durant has given the names of two teams that he’d like to play for: the Miami Heat and the Phoenix Suns.
This, however, is where things get tricky as Durant has made clear that he only wants to move to the Heat if the core players of the team remain on the roster. According to reports, Durant would only green light a move to the Heat if he’s assured to play with the likes of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry. While that’s all well and good, in order for the Heat to facilitate a move for the former MVP its almost impossible to believe that it wouldn’t involve one of the above mentioned players moving in the opposite direction. So is the deal dead in the water?
Where do the Miami Heat stand on Kevin Durant?
It would be safe to assume that Jimmy Butler is not going anywhere as far as any potential trade is concerned. Where Lowry is concerned there might be some day light the table, but it goes without saying that he’s only valuable to a contender. As for Adebayo, it’s highly likely his status will be the same as Butler’s which is to say not available. What then could the Heat possibly offer the Nets in exchange for one of the best players in the league?
On a logic based level, any offer would likely be structured around Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson to compensate for the size of salary involved. Additionally the The Heat could possibly offer No. 27 overall pick Nikola Jovic along with three future first-rounders and three first-round pick swaps, but even then it would still likely fall short of Durant’s value. This is of course without mentioning a critical factor in the whole scenario: Even if both parties were open to a deal involving the aforementioned Adebayo, the move couldn´t be sanctioned. No team in the league is permitted to have more than one player on designated rookie extensions that were acquired via trade. Why does this matter? Simply because the Nets already have Ben Simmons on such a contract. What that means is that the quite frankly, the Heat don’t hold the upper hand in any Durant related negotiation.
What about the Phoenix suns
Where the Suns are concerned, it’s yet again a similar scenario in terms of how much they would have to give up in order to land Durant. Focus would immediately turn to Devin Booker who recently agreed an extension and Chris Paul. The presence of both would be essential if they wanted to lure Durant to Arizona so with that in mind any deal done would have to be creative to say the least. With that said the Suns have been reported as a very real destination, as such it stands to reason that the aforementioned complications involved in a move to the Heat are likely to serve the Suns cause. For the moment all we can do is watch this space.