Miami Heat trade rumors now involve Kevin Durant. A plan the Heat may have is to acquire Durant and make another run at the NBA Finals. A report from USA Today on Tuesday (June 2) takes that idea one step further by suggesting the team would use Dwyane Wade to steer Durant to South Beach. That’s exactly how LeBron James was lured to the Heat, and it could certainly set the team on a successful path again.
There are two ways that the Heat could pursue Durant, with the first being through a trade. If he is keen to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder, Miami could look for a midseason deal to bring on the former NBA MVP. Another way a trade could work is through a sign-and-trade deal during the 2016 NBA offseason. Durant is heading into the final year of his deal with OKC, making him the head of what could be a huge free agent class. It could force the Thunder to agree to a trade if it appeared he would simply walk away in free agency.
The other way for the Miami Heat to acquire Kevin Durant would be to simply lure him through free agency. If Dwyane Wade were to opt-in to his current contract, he could then become a free agent in the 2016 NBA offseason as well. From that point he could try to convince Durant that South Beach is the best place to bring his talents. Miami has the money to do it, possibly teaming up Durant with yearly All-Star power forward Chris Bosh for many seasons to come.
For any of these Miami Heat rumors to play out in a way that would excite fans, Kevin Durant would actually have to want out of Oklahoma City. He might want to stay teammates with Russell Westbrook and work on finally bringing a title to OKC. Even if he decided to leave the Thunder, there is also no guarantee he would choose Miami over teams like the Los Angeles Lakers or New York Knicks. There are various other teams where he could go and team up with other All-Star players that might work better with his talents. As previously reported on the Inquisitr , the Lakers have ideas about going after Durant as soon as Kobe Bryant retires.
As the NBA offseason draws closer, there are going to be a lot of Miami Heat trade rumors as the team tries to become relevant again. Missing the 2015 NBA Playoffs is something Dwyane Wade doesn’t want to experience again, so actually getting him to stay in town is the first thing Miami needs to worry about.
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