After the Los Angeles Lakers made something light work of the Houston Rockets in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, Kevin Durant could surprisingly find himself back on the trade block. And the Miami Heat could view him as an intriguing fallback option to Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Heat's attention will certainly be on Giannis heading into the start of the summer. However, if it quickly becomes apparent that Giannis isn't going anywhere (or if he's traded elsewhere), KD could be a cheaper plan B trade option for the Heat.
Even though KD would represent more of a stopgap star option at this point in his career, I'm sure the Heat would take him if they missed out on some of their bigger targets, even more so if the asking price wouldn't be high.
Heat could get Kevin Durant on the cheap
At this point, there's reason to believe that the Heat could pry a disgruntled KD out of Houston for a salary-matching expiring contract and one draft pick or a young player. Especially if they're aggressively looking to dump him after this season.
And sure, the prospect of adding a 37-year-old KD may not be as enticing as a Giannis, Kawhi Leonard, or Ja Morant, but trading for a stopgap star at a discount could be viewed as a much better option for the front office than just running it back with relatively the same roster.
If the Heat were to miss out on their bigger trade targets this summer, there's no world in which they can sell the fan base on another "gap year." At least, not in good faith.
And if the Heat are ready for change, this is one of those deals that could truly shake up things in Miami.
KD might be just enough to move the needle for the Heat
Who knows how many more games the Heat would've won this season with KD in the fold, but such a move would certainly add much more intrigue to their existence. And, if nothing else, that would be a welcome sight to a franchise that has been pettering around mediocrity since Jimmy Butler was traded more than a year ago.
Add in the mystery surrounding KD's relationship with his Rockets' teammates, and this is a scenario that immediately becomes much more plausible.
With how this season fell apart for the Rockets down the stretch, it's a matter of "which changes," and not necessarily "if changes" occur this summer. KD could very well be at the center of them all.
If there's one thing that the Heat have capitalized on in the past, it's their ability to take one team's disgruntled star and use it to their advantage. Interestingly enough, after missing out on KD last offseason, the Heat probably thought that ship had sailed.
All of a sudden, that option could be back on the table.
Heading into the offseason, another pursuit of KD may not be at the top of their list of priorities, but if some of their other top targets come off the board, it wouldn't be all that shocking if the Heat kicked the tires on the superstar forward again.
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