The Miami Heat are still in the mix to land Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant in a trade, but it seems like Miami isn’t going to do whatever it takes to get a deal done.
According to a report, the team views stars Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo as “off limits.”
“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 last season,” wrote Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “Barring a change of heart, the expectation is Miami will not budge on its stance of keeping Adebayo and Butler off limits.”
At least one NBA insider believes that the Heat won’t be able to put together a package that satisfies the Nets unless Adebayo is included. Since the Heat clearly aren’t willing to let go of the 25-year-old, the team’s options are limited when it comes to building a package to get Durant.
It hasn’t been a perfect offseason for the Heat, who have seen other teams in the Eastern Conference improve while they’ve largely been quiet.
Miami is hoping to head into the 2022-23 regular season with an improved roster in order to get over the hump and make it back to the NBA Finals, but the team is certainly running out of time and options.
Of course, a deal for Durant would change everything. Last season, the superstar averaged 29.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game. He knocked down 51.8 percent of his shots from the field and 38.3 percent of his shots from deep.
It seems like there are a lot of obstacles standing between the Heat and a potential deal for Durant, but Miami shouldn’t be counted out. Time will tell if the team can land the 12-time All-Star.