If the Miami Heat's reported plan B options are any indication, they'd better hit on Kevin Durant. If the likes of Jonathan Kuminga and DeMar DeRozan are the best fallback options for the Heat, this very well may end up being a KD or bust summer for the Heat. If the Heat can't close a deal for KD, their offseason outlook appears very bleak. And that's putting it lightly.
According to Marc Stein, the Heat could express interest in Golden State Warriors restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga if they miss out on KD. Over the last few weeks, the Heat have also been linked to DeRozan as another backup offseason target.
If these reports are indeed accurate, the Heat's front office must be under immense pressure to solve the riddle of these KD trade talks with the Phoenix Suns. At this point, their fallback options do leave much to be desired.
The danger of the Heat's plan B options
Here lies the real danger with Miami's potential plan B options; it's simple. It's this idea that there aren't a ton of good ones. The star trade market is probably not as rich as most expected it to be heading into the offseason, and if Miami misses out on KD, they will certainly have a huge decision to make between tearing down the roster and trying to put band-aids on a much bigger wound.
As much as every fan would want their team to remain competitive, there does come a time for every franchise, even the most proud ones, where they need to lay down their guns and embrace the reality of the situation. There's an argument to be made that the Heat should already be at that point. But even more so if they end up missing out on KD, the Heat could certainly find themselves at that fork in the road.
Knowing the way this franchise operates, there's a better chance they're going to try to make a desperate move rather than tearing down the road. For better or worse, that's the mantra of this leadership: retool and not rebuild.
That should scare Heat fans if they miss out on their plan A.
The interest in Kuminga shouldn't be shocking. In theory, he's a player who could work, but the risk completely outweighs the reward. If the Heat are desperate enough, and missing out on KD could force them into that position, it could open the door to a potentially bad plan B move for the franchise.
This is not necessarily about Kuminga. Heat fans are hoping they hit on KD because, if not, it could lead to a rash offseason decision that could put the franchise back another half-decade.