The Miami Heat appear to be one of the leading teams when it comes to which franchise has the best chances of landing Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant.
Durant has made it clear that Miami is one of his preferred destinations, and the Heat seem determined to capitalize on that fact.
Around the league, NBA executives are reportedly rolling their eyes over Pat Riley’s recruiting powers.
“I never doubt Pat Riley,” said Zach Lowe. “There are agents and executives around the league not plugged into these talks per se who just sort of nod and roll their eyes and say, ‘Boy, is Durant gonna end up in Miami because that’s just what happens with Pat Riley when he throws the rings on the table?'”
At the moment, a trade sending Durant to the Heat doesn’t seem close. While the Heat surely have some pieces that the Nets would like to get in a trade, the two teams clearly haven’t been able to work anything out.
However, the offseason is still a long way from being over, and sometimes all it takes for a team to get a player that it covets is patience.
The Nets could become increasingly desperate as the summer wears on, and they could ultimately be more willing to take a deal that didn’t initially check all of their boxes.
Only time will tell whether or not the Heat can land Durant. However, there’s no question that having Riley calling the shots certainly gives Miami a bit of a boost compared to other teams around the league.