Heat needs help in Durant, Mitchell pursuits. Ayton decision alters Suns’ Durant efforts
The Heat has been unsuccessful in attempts to land either Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant or Utah’s Donovan Mitchell in a two-team trade.
And if Miami has a chance to snag either superstar, it looks like the Heat will need help.
ESPN reported this week that the only way the Heat can land Durant is with the involvement of additional teams, and the Salt Lake Tribune reported the same is the case with Mitchell.
Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune reported Thursday that the Jazz “asked the Heat to engage a third team if they’re interested in Donovan, because they don’t find the packages the Heat can offer sufficient.”
Any Heat package likely would include Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson and the Heat’s two available first-round picks; a third first-round pick could be made available if Oklahoma City and the Heat agree to unlock protections on a future No. 1 pick owed to the Thunder.
In this specific hypothetical trade, a third low-salary Heat player would need to be included for salary cap reasons; the inclusion of one among Gabe Vincent, Max Strus, Omer Yurtseven or Haywood Highsmith would satisfy the league’s salary cap rules. Including first-round pick Nikola Jovic also would work; he becomes trade eligible Aug. 3.
The Salt Lake Tribune reported that the Heat likely would need to include Strus and additional picks. But dealing both Strus and Robinson — in addition to Herro — in a Mitchell trade would severely deplete the Heat from a shooting standpoint.
The Athletic has reported the Knicks have emerged as the “focused destination” in trade conversations for Mitchell, a three-time All-Star who averaged 25.9 points last season.
The Knicks — with eight future tradeable first-round picks — have more draft inventory than the Heat to offer to Utah, which is reportedly seeking draft picks and young talent on affordable contracts.
On the Durant front, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowksi said the Heat “don’t have a 1-on-1 pathway to do a deal with Brooklyn. They are going to need a third or fourth team.”
As The Miami Herald reported, ESPN reaffirmed that the Heat “has been one of the most determined teams to acquire Durant.”
The Phoenix Suns and Heat are two of Durant’s preferred destinations. But one potential part of a Phoenix offer became unavailable on Thursday when Suns restricted free agent center DeAndre Ayton agreed to a four-year, $133 million offer sheet with the Indiana Pacers.
The Suns, who had 48 hours to match the offer, acted quickly by matching it on Thursday evening, according to multiple reports. That means Ayton will remain with the Suns and cannot be traded until Jan. 15 and cannot be traded without his permission anytime next season. So he’s no longer available for Phoenix to use as a carrot in a bid for Durant.
If the Heat is unable to acquire Durant or Mitchell, the Heat could seek another player — likely a power forward — in the trade market. But signing a free agent, even at the minimum, would push the Heat over the luxury tax line, presuming Udonis Haslem returns for a 20th season as expected.
Miami would then need to determine if it would make sense to offer a future first-round pick and Robinson’s contract to acquire a power forward to supplement Caleb Martin, or whether it would be better served holding onto its future draft inventory in case another All Star becomes available.
The Heat also would need to decide whether to try to cobble together a package to acquire Nets All-Star guard Kyrie Irving, who has not attracted strong Heat interest.
At the moment, the Heat’s current roster looks very much like last season’s.
So far in free agency, the Heat has re-signed three of its players (center Dewayne Dedmon, guard Victor Oladipo and Martin) and has yet to make any outside additions.
The only player on the Heat’s roster who wasn’t on the team last season is first-round pick Jovic. And the only player not on the roster for this upcoming season who was on this year’s season-ending roster is forward P.J. Tucker, who left to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency.
The Heat entered Thursday with nearly a full 15-man roster for next season with 13 players signed to standard contracts: Jimmy Butler ($37.7 million), Bam Adebayo ($30.4 million), Kyle Lowry ($28.3 million), Robinson ($16.9 million), Oladipo ($8.7 million), Martin ($6.5 million), Herro ($5.7 million), Dedmon ($4.7 million), Jovic ($2.2 million), Strus ($1.8 million), Vincent ($1.8 million), Yurtseven ($1.8 million) and Highsmith (partially guaranteed $1.8 million).
The Heat has about $148.3 million committed to salaries for next season with the NBA setting the 2022-23 salary cap at $123.7 million and luxury-tax threshold at $150.3 million.
If Haslem decides to continue his playing career, his cap hit at the veteran minimum would be $1.8 million and push Miami just about $200,000 away from entering the tax.
That’s why the Heat could begin this upcoming season with just 14 players on standard contracts — not counting the two players on two-way deals — barring a trade. Entering the season with 14 players is one shy of the NBA regular-season maximum of 15 players but still acceptable under NBA roster rules.
But the Heat’s current roster actually includes 17 players when including two-way contract players Mychal Mulder and Javonte Smart and Exhibit 10 players Jamaree Bouyea and Orlando Robinson. Two-way and Exhibit 10 deals don’t count against the salary cap.
NBA teams are allowed to carry up to 20 players under contract in the offseason and preseason, a total that includes standard deals, two-way deals and Exhibit 10 deals but does not include those on summer league contracts. Rosters must be cut to a maximum total of 17 players (15 on standard contracts and two on two-way contracts) by the start of the regular season.
This story was originally published July 14, 2022 at 3:48 PM.
