It's easy to get overwhelmingly excited about the possibilities Kevin Durant can offer if the Miami Heat is able to acquire him via trade. However, the harsh reality that Heat fans may not want to hear is that if he does land in Miami, it will probably have little to do with the roster the team has built.
On a recent hit on ESPN's Get Up, NBA insider Brian Windhorst spilled the harsh reality that could be difficult for Heat fans to digest. Windy said that KD is interested in Miami because of the city and Pat Riley (and "certainly not the team").
This is probably true, but also not something that Heat fans want to hear. For Miami, the hope in acquiring KD is that he could help elevate them up the Eastern Conference hierarchy. The way Windy puts it, the Heat's supporting cast in place is not good enough to make them contenders. Even though it may not be something any fan base wants to hear, especially for a group as proud as Miami's, it's probably the truth.
The Heat may not be contenders with Kevin Durant
Honestly, there's probably a good chance that the Heat still won't be contenders with KD. At least with that move alone. Even if that's not the only trade Miami's front office has up their sleeve heading into the offseason, it would be hard to envision how the Heat are going to make enough complentary moves to get to a point where they could compete with the likes of the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, or the Boston Celtics right away.
There's no question that KD would upgrade their roster; adding that level of talent alone would offer this team a huge boost. But, especially with the way the Heat looked down the stretch, KD, at this stage of his career, isn't in a position where he could single-handedly elevate this team to elite status.
If that's what the fans are expecting, they're going to be grossly underwhelmed. Perhaps that's what Windy was hinting at most. It's not to say that KD is anticipating the Heat to be bad if that's where he's traded, it's this idea that there were several other factors that went into his decision in placing Miami atop his list of preferred destinations.
Assuming health, the Heat will probably be good with KD. They'll certainly be improved. If Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo can continue to play at a high level, they should find themselves in a position to make some noise in the East playoffs. However, it's probably right for Heat fans to tame their expectations if they're able to land KD. And, boy, did Windy use a pretty savage way of conveying that message.