The Miami Heat and Phoenix Suns (and the rest of the teams bidding for Kevin Durant) continue to play a game of chicken with each other. However, one thing is clear for Miami: if the Heat are going to land KD, it's pretty clear what type of package they'll need to offer to get a deal done.
In the eyes of NBA insider Jake Fischer, he believes that a package along the lines of Kel'el Ware, Andrew Wiggins, Duncan Robinson, and the 20th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft should be enough to get KD to Miami. At least for now, the Heat has been hesitant to include Ware in any trade talks with the Suns, but if the Heat wanted to end this back and forth, this is an offer that many believe would accomplish that.
Considering the upside that Ware carries, it's pretty clear why both the Heat may not want to include him in an offer and why the Suns may be holding out for him. At some point, one side is going to have to blink.
Which side will blink first?
Either the Suns are going to settle for a lesser offer (without Ware), or they'll take another offer from another team. What Phoenix is hoping for when it comes to trade talks with Miami specifically is that they'll begin to lose patience and their desperation for a star player will win out, leading to Ware eventually being included in the offer.
At least for now, there's no indication that will happen. However, if Miami does want to end this all-out bidding war that is currently taking place, it's pretty clear what they'll have to do.
With the 2025 NBA Draft less than a week away, the clock is ticking for both the Suns and every other team that is in trade talks for KD. You'd have to imagine that all sides involved are going to want to have some sort of resolution, one way or another.
Even if the Heat doesn't end up acquiring KD, that's something they're going to want clarity on before the NBA Draft. It would give them the freedom to genuinely approach the draft process while also exploring other trade options.
The roadmap to KD is pretty clear for the Heat. Whether they'll meet Phoenix there remains to be seen. If the Heat wants KD bad enough, though, they should be able to land him. The question is, will they finally pull the trigger?