Jason Burgos
A top NBA insider has shed new light on what the Miami Heat are and aren’t willing to part with in a potential trade for future Hall-of-Famer Kevin Durant.
“They could talk themselves into not trading Herro. And a nucleus of Herro, plus Bam [Adebayo], plus KD, plus whatever young players are left over can get us somewhere. And they have [Andrew] Wiggins, [Terry] Rozier salary combo, plus picks to trade that sort of satisfies a lot,” ESPN NBA insider Zach Lowe said in a recent edition of his podcast.
“The key there would be they’re going to have to give up one of [Nikola] Jovic or [Jaime] Jaquez in any kind of trade. I just don’t see Phoenix doing it without some carrot of a maybe semi-interesting young guy.”
Related: Miami Heat viewed as ‘plausible’ landing spot for 6x All-Star
Yet, while the Heat have some interesting trade chips, Lowe did explain the one player Miami will “try like hell to hang on to.” And that desire could lead to trying to add the Brooklyn Nets to a potential blockbuster deal for the 15-time All-Star.
“Kel’el Ware is the one that Miami will try like hell to hang on to. And that’s where the [Nic] Claxton, ‘can we rope in Brooklyn as a third team’ kind of comes in. Instead of giving up, Ware,” said Lowe.
The Phoenix Suns were a huge and expensive disappointment this past season. Despite having Durant and fellow All-Star Devin Booker, the team wasn’t even good enough to reach the NBA Play-In Tournament this spring. The organization listened to trade offers on Durant in February. And is a lock to move the legendary player this summer.
However, there will be a solid number of suitors for his services this summer. Which will boost Phoenix’s asking price. The Suns have been unable to fill DeAndre Ayton’s void since he was traded last year. So asking for Ware in trade talks is very likely.
Related: Miami Heat trade proposal nets Ja Morant this offseason
