Heat looking ahead, remains disinclined to trade Adebayo for Durant. Where things stand
While the Miami Heat remains interested in Kevin Durant, the Brooklyn Nets have displayed little interest in the Heat’s offer for the high-scoring superstar and Miami is moving ahead with its current roster for next season, according to sources briefed on the situation.
Though the Nets would have interest in Bam Adebayo in a Durant trade, the Heat has not included Adebayo in offers for Durant and appears disinclined to do so.
It should be noted that Adebayo is not currently eligible to be included in a trade with the Nets because of NBA salary cap rules, unless the Nets trade Ben Simmons to the Heat or another team. That’s because of the Designated Rookie Extension rule: A team cannot have two players acquired via trade who were signed to that type of extension such as Adebayo and Simmons.
Durant, who turns 34 in September, requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets nearly four weeks ago and reportedly listed the Heat and Phoenix Suns as his preferred trade destinations. Miami’s front office has had conversations with Brooklyn executives about a potential deal for Durant, but the Heat and other teams have not been able to meet the Nets’ historic asking price.
Many around the league believe the Durant sweepstakes will drag on — possibly into training camp or even the regular season — as Brooklyn waits for the massive return it’s seeking and other teams wait for the Nets to potentially lower their asking price.
According to a source, the Heat could revisit a potential trade for Durant if it becomes a more realistic option down the road but is not in a holding pattern awaiting clarity from the Nets.
Without including Jimmy Butler or Adebayo, any Heat offer for Durant would need to be headlined by the 22-year-old Tyler Herro, who was named the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year this past season. Barring a change of heart, the expectation is Miami will not budge on its stance of keeping Adebayo and Butler off limits.
Then there’s the draft compensation the Heat would need to include in a deal for Durant.
The Heat is currently eligible to include two unprotected first-round picks in a trade offer and could unlock a third unprotected first-round pick to offer Brooklyn if it can negotiate to lift the lottery protections on the 2025 first-round selection it owes the Oklahoma City Thunder.
In this scenario, the Heat could also include up to three pick swaps in its trade offer to the Nets, which would give Brooklyn the ability to come away with the better draft position between the two teams in each of those respective years.
But that’s apparently not enough to meet the Nets’ asking price for Durant. According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Nets recently rejected a Celtics offer that included Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and a draft pick, with Brooklyn asking Boston for more.
Regarding Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, the New York Knicks are widely considered the favorite to acquire him in a trade in part because they have up to eight first-round picks available to include in a deal. The Heat doesn’t own that type of draft capital, which the Jazz reportedly covet.
This all means that the Heat’s roster for next season will very likely look a lot like last season’s that finished just one win short of reaching the NBA Finals. Miami re-signed three players in center Dewayne Dedmon, forward Caleb Martin and guard Victor Oladipo in free agency and has yet to make any outside free agent additions this summer.
Twelve of the 13 players currently signed by the Heat to standard contracts for this upcoming season were also on the season-ending roster. If forward Udonis Haslem decides to come back for a 20th NBA season, as expected, the Heat’s roster would include 13 returning players.
If Haslem re-signs, the Heat would surpass the luxury tax if its signs a 15th player to a standard contract, unless it releases Haywood Highsmith or trades salary. The Heat has not ruled out going into luxury tax territory but prefers to remain under the tax for now, unless it acquires an elite player.
With P.J. Tucker having left for Philadelphia, the Heat is comfortable with Caleb Martin playing power forward, where he logged just 22 percent of his minutes last season, and would be satisfied entering next season with this roster. But Miami could explore a trade for an established power forward if a particularly appealing one becomes available.
This story was originally published July 26, 2022 at 5:55 PM.
