There’s no question that this season has been a disappointment. The Miami Heat traded their star and could finish below .500 for the first time since 2019. There are some silver linings – Tyler Herro’s first All-Star appearance, Kel’el Ware, Davion Mitchell – but the team finds itself approaching a fork in the road.
Pat Riley doesn’t have an appetite to wait another five years between stars like he did between LeBron James’ departure in 2014 and Jimmy Butler’s arrival in 2019. The Heat proved that when they explored ways to swap Butler in deals for either Kevin Durant or De’Aaron Fox before the Feb. 6 trade deadline. This team wants an injection of star power, and it wants it now.
Durant could be the Heat's next star.
So it should come as no surprise that the Heat are among the teams expected to pursue Kevin Durant again this summer, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
“Back at the NBA trade deadline, Minnesota, Miami, New York, San Antonio and Houston were among the teams, I’m told, there was mutual interest between Durant and those teams,” Charania said Wednesday. “I expect those teams to be back in the fray this summer.”
Reporting for NBA Today with @malika_andrews on the potential summer of change coming to the Phoenix Suns: pic.twitter.com/73BB8aQdYP
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 2, 2025
The Heat are in a better position to swing for Durant this summer than they were before the deadline. After trading Butler to Golden State, the Heat will have more draft picks and contracts to use in a deal.
If the Heat miss the playoffs, they can offer up to four first-round picks (Golden State’s 2025 pick from the Butler trade, their own in 2025, 2030 and 2032). and swaps.
They also have three contracts, between Andrew Wiggins, Terry Rozier and Duncan Robinson, that are big enough to help build a package for a star player on a high salary.
(Robinson’s contract is particularly interesting since only $9.9 million of his $19.9 million is guaranteed before July 6. It’s the kind of contract that could be helpful to a team like the Suns that will be attempting to trim payroll. Rozier’s contract will also expire after next season.)
The Heat would likely want to keep Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Kel’el Ware out of a Durant trade package, but could make nearly everything else available.
But they might also be competing with strong offers from other teams.
The Timberwolves don’t have much in the way of draft capital but they have intriguing young players like Jaden McDaniels and Rob Dillingham, as well as a former All-NBA forward in Julius Randle.
The Knicks traded most of their future firsts to acquire Mikal Bridges last summer but can build a package around returning Bridges to Phoenix.
The Spurs have a trove of draft picks, young players and salaries to include in a package if they want to add Durant to their star duo of Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox.
Even if the Heat can beat some of these offers, Durant’s influence shouldn’t be overlooked. Much like how Fox was able to call his spot in February, leading to the Spurs getting him for a steal, Durant can do the same. Like Fox, Durant is eligible to hit free agency in 2026. He can apply leverage to trade conversations by letting prospective teams know whether or not he plans to re-sign.
If Durant says he wants to end up in Miami – or New York, or San Antonio – those teams could have an easier time trading for him if the others bow out of negotiations.
Durant hasn’t made any such demands, but this latest report could be a step in that direction.