Miami Heat center Kel'el Ware has quickly become one of the most coveted up-and-coming players in the NBA. An athletic big with an intriguing combination of traditional skills and modern adaptability, Ware has been a central figure in trade rumors and negotiations over the past year.
Thankfully for those who hope to see Ware spend a long career in Miami, it doesn't appear as though a trade is an option the Heat are seriously considering.
Ware is already a productive two-way player at just 21 years of age. Selected at No. 15 overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, he also has a team-friendly rookie-scale contract at an average of just $5,116,518 per season. That's inevitably caused interest from around the NBA, which Miami has reportedly rebuffed.
According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, the Heat refused to include Ware in trade discussions for Kevin Durant across multiple negotiating cycles.
"League sources say that the Heat refused to include Kel'el Ware in any of those trade discussions. They likewise refused to package Ware, Jamie Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jović and the No. 20 overall pick in last June's draft in exchange for Durant."
With Ware featured even more prominently in Erik Spoelstra's rotation in 2025-26, it's safe to assume he remains off limits unless the Heat are blown away by the returning package.
Heat were unwilling to trade Kel'el Ware in previous negotiations
Ware has quickly established himself as a nightly double-double threat who can space the floor, protect the paint, crash the boards, and create turnovers. Thus far in 2025-26, he's averaging 11.6 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.2 offensive boards, 1.3 blocks, 1.0 steal, and 1.0 three-point field goal made on .535/.421/.809 shooting.
Ware's produced those numbers in just 24.6 minutes per game, meaning his averages translate to 17.0 points, 15.1 rebounds, 4.7 offensive boards, 2.0 blocks, 1.5 steals, and 1.5 three-point field goals made per 36 minutes.
Ware's gaudy per-36 production offers clear insight into why rival executives are intrigued by his upside. It also explains why Miami is unwilling to trade him before it has a real opportunity to evaluate how realistic it is for him to reach a star-caliber level on a consistent basis.
The Heat have committed to exploring Ware's potential by having him start 16 of his 24 appearances in 2025-26, including each of the past two games.
With Ware alongside three-time All-Star and five-time All-Defense honoree Bam Adebayo, Miami seems to have its interior of the future locked down. If Ware continues to develop along his current trajectory, the Heat could realistically boast one of the best and most versatile defensive interiors in the NBA for years to come.
Offensively, they've shown flashes of being just as dynamic with both bigs displaying the ability to play inside and out, and Adebayo ideally complementing Ware's shooting as a high-level playmaker.
It must be reiterated that the perfect offer could still come along and convince the Heat to part ways with Ware. What they've seemingly committed to, however, is continuing to explore the potential of one of the most promising players on their roster—and not even a superstar like Durant could change their mind.
With an opportunity to build a balanced postseason-caliber team around a captivating interior duo, the Heat are making it crystal clear that they view Ware as a franchise cornerstone.