If the Miami Heat truly wanted an NBA star, they could've had one this offseason. Kevin Durant, a former MVP and two-time Finals MVP, was up for grabs, and Miami was firmly in the mix.
For whatever reason, though, Pat Riley never bothered to complete the whale hunt. The Heat seemingly balked at the Phoenix Suns' asking price, made what some considered a pennies-on-the-dollar offer, and freed up the Houston Rockets to nab Durant, which 11 of 20 respondents to a recent ESPN poll of NBA insiders dubbed the best move of the summer.
Miami could've been the talk of the basketball world right now had it gotten a Durant deal done. Instead, the Heat are the team no one is talking about, they're still in the market for a star, and, rather inexplicably, they're even still being linked to Durant, too.
If they wanted Durant, this offseason was the time to go get him.
If Miami has any path to relevance this season, it will almost certainly involve coach Erik Spoelstra overseeing a dominant, relentless defense and an offense that does just enough to hover around mediocre levels of efficiency.
Point production almost certainly won't be a strength, and yes, that was true even before they lost Tyler Herro to foot and ankle surgery. Remember, Herro authored his finest campaign to date last season, his first as an NBA All-Star, and Miami still couldn't manage better than a 21st-placed finish in offensive efficiency, per NBA.com. It was the team's third consecutive finish in the category's bottom-third.
Asking Durant to cure all that ails this attack in his age-37 season would have been a lot, but clearly this offense would've been in better shape with him onboard. Save for an uptick in absences, there really have been no signs of slowing down from the four-time scoring champ. His 26.6 points per game last season were within arm's reach of his career output (27.2), while his shooting rates from the field (52.7) and from three (43) were among the highest he's ever posted.
He would've given this group a bona fide closer, a top-shelf first option, and a walking mismatch against defenders of all shapes and sizes. His presence also would've had the kind of trickle-down effect that put others in better fitting roles: Herro as a second option, Bam Adebayo in a tertiary role, and the supporting cast asked only to support.
Instead, the Heat are left hoping that someone can cover up Herro's absence and that Herro himself can eventually navigate them to a better place than he could last season. Which, again, marked the high point of his career so far.
Miami didn't have to be in this position. Losing out on the potential of someone like Kel'el Ware or Nikola Jovic wouldn't have been fun, but the Heat basically chose a mystery box over an established elite they've long coveted. It was a strange calculation then, and one that should still frustrate fans to this day.