The pursuit of Kevin Durant continues to have rumors flying from left and right. By all indications, the Miami Heat are very much in the running alongside the Minnesota Timberwolves and the San Antonio Spurs to pull off the trade with Phoenix.
One of the struggles for Miami is that they don't have a ton of assets to send back to the Suns. And based on insider reports, a potential Durant trade might hinge on whether they are willing to part with one of the few assets they do have.
Miami must decide if they want to part ways with Kel'el Ware
NBA insider Jake Fischer wrote on The Stein Line (subscription needed) a detailed glimpse at Miami's pursuit of Durant.
Towards the end of his report, he noted that from Miami's side, Kel'el Ware seems to be the swing factor in whether or not Miami will emerge as the winner.
Ware is coming off being named the NBA All-Rookie Second Team, and his emergence during the back half of the season gave the Heat flexibility to move Bam Adebayo around on the court.
Obviously, Ware is not the caliber of player that Durant is, and the odds of him achieving that ceiling are low.
However, the problem for the Heat is that if Miami trades Ware away, they will be back at square one, having no true center on the roster. It's one of the issues the Suns are currently facing and the reason Phoenix wants Ware.
While most Miami fans will point to the need for someone who can score as a key priority this offseason, the reality is that the interior defense for the Heat was awful in 2024-25.
The Heat were dead last in blocks per game, 27th in opponent shooting between 5-9 feet, and 21st in opponent shooting percentage inside five feet.
If you are keeping score at home, the Oklahoma City Thunder were 1st in the NBA in opponent shooting inside five feet, and the Indiana Pacers were top 10.
The problem with the big three of Kevin Durant, Bam Adebayo, and Tyler Herro, which doesn't include Ware, is that it would leave the Heat without any answers to genuinely defend the rim against teams with a hint of size.
So the Heat are correct to drag their feet on this sticking point, and if Durant falls through because of it, so be it.