The Miami Heat appeared on Kevin Durant’s initial wish list when he requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets and they have been active in pursuing one.
“The Miami Heat have been certainly one of the most determined teams to try to acquire Kevin Durance since he asked for that trade,” said Adrian Wojnarowski. “They talked to Brooklyn here in Las Vegas.
“Ultimately, for Miami and Brooklyn to specifically do a deal, they’re going to need a third team, perhaps even a fourth team. There’s really not a one-on-one deal they can do. Bam Adebayo and Ben Simmons can’t be on a roster together based on their contracts, so they’re going to need to be creative around the league to try to find a pathway to a deal.
“For teams like Miami, the question they have to ask themselves is how much do we give up? If we bring in Kevin Durant, are we a championship contender? How much of your infrastructure can you gut?
“Brooklyn’s asking price is steep. Brooklyn continues to talk to a number of teams here in Vegas and are no closer to a trade for Kevin Durant. But especially teams like Miami and Phoenix need help. They don’t really have a one-on-one pathway to a deal with Brooklyn. That makes it more complicated.”