The Miami Heat could be in trouble next season. After Kevin Durant requested a trade at the end of June and rumors about Donovan Mitchell becoming available for trade came to fruition, the organization decided to put its focus on acquiring another star to pair alongside Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.
Unfortunately, there was a heavy price to pay for the Heat’s decision.
Not only did they lose one of their best role players last season in P.J. Tucker, but they also failed to add any significant pieces to their roster via free agency.
Durant and Mitchell have not been traded yet, but the asking price for each of them is high. It would require lots of picks and skilled young players to trade for either star.
And when it comes to the Miami Heat, they do not seem to have enough picks to compete with other teams’ offers.
Miami Heat: Would Donovan Mitchell trade request help or hurt acquisition?
The Brooklyn Nets want a young star in return for Kevin Durant. As far as we know, the best player offered so far has been Celtics star, Jaylen Brown.
The Heat do not have a player they could offer the Nets that compares to the skill level of Jaylen Brown—other than Bam Adebayo. But trading Bam becomes difficult because of Ben Simmons and the NBA salary cap rules, while Bam is someone the Heat would be reluctant to offer in a trade anyway.
That puts Miami in a very tough spot to acquire Durant.
As for Donovan Mitchell, there was increased momentum that he would be traded to the New York Knicks.
As soon as the Jazz became open to trading the young star, the Knicks were viewed as the favorites to land him. However, the Jazz are interested in taking six or seven first-round draft picks from New York, in addition to young players.
As the home of the biggest fanbase in the NBA, the Knicks have pressure from their fanbase to acquire a star to help them make the playoffs and finally be a decent team. However, trade talks have stalled, and no agreement has been reached.
Miami Heat: A Mitchell Request Doesn’t Do A Ton For Miami… Exclusively
The Miami Heat would prefer to acquire Kevin Durant over Donovan Mitchell, but it seems like Mitchell is the easier star to acquire between the two. That being said, the path to a Donovan Mitchell trade would still be extremely difficult for the Heat.
The Miami Heat lost a lot of momentum in regard to a Mitchell acquisition, but videos of Donovan Mitchell teaming up with Bam Adebayo at the Miami Pro League have given the city a little more hope.
Despite being one of the top names in trade rumors this offseason, Donovan Mitchell has never officially requested a trade. Would it benefit the Miami Heat for him to officially demand a trade?
It’s tough to say, but probably not. One of the benefits to Mitchell requesting a trade is that the Jazz would have less leverage and therefore his price would drop a little.
That being said though, that also means the price is lower for other teams. With an organization as desperate to be relevant as the Knicks, the Heat would have a difficult time trumping any offer that New York could make without giving up too much.
The Miami Heat are a smart organization. Its leaders are not going to sacrifice more than they have to in order to acquire a star.
Although either of these stars would help them win a championship, the asking price seems like a lot to risk right now. An official trade request could change that for Donovan Mitchell, but the Heat won’t be able to keep up with the Knicks, who are going to be pressed by their fans to give up as many picks as necessary to acquire the Jazz guard.
The Heat are at risk of taking a step back compared to last season. Considering how close the team actually was to winning a championship last year, it would be a huge disappointment to see them regress.