As the Brooklyn Nets try to trade Kevin Durant for something resembling fair value, they not only have to deal with the teams they’re trading with, but also Durant himself. He has offered two teams, the Miami Heat and Phoenix Suns, as preferred destinations. Here’s where things get complicated: Durant reportedly only wants to go to the Heat if most of his team remains intact. According to The Athletic, Durant would only want to play for the Heat if he could play alongside Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry. Considering the little assets Miami would have to offer Brooklyn aside from those three, a Heat trade now seems somewhat unlikely. It’s safe to say Butler was never at the table. Lowry is only valuable to one prospect. So if Adebayo isn’t available either, what could Miami offer? The package will be built around Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson as salary ballast. The Heat could offer No. 27 overall pick Nikola Jovic along with three future first-rounders and three first-round pick trades. That’s a huge offer for almost anyone, but it won’t be enough to land Durant. Check the opt-in box to confirm you want to join.
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Here’s another complication: Even if the Heat and Durant were open to a deal involving Adebayo, he legally cannot be traded to the Nets right now. Teams are not allowed to have multiple players on designated rookie extensions acquired via trade, and the Nets already have Ben Simmons on such a contract. Overall, this puts the Heat at a significant disadvantage in the Durant sweepstakes. The Suns would have to give up enough to get Durant as well, but if they could do it without sacrificing Devin Booker or Chris Paul, they’d probably still have enough to entice the former MVP. If Durant really wants Phoenix above all other destinations, this kind of leak makes sense. If he could discourage the Heat, one of the main threats for the Suns would be off the boards. At the moment, we are so early in the process that it would be foolish to say anything definitively.
