The Miami Heat could be in the market for a superstar this offseason as they look to improve their roster after falling short of the NBA Finals in the 2021-22 season.
The Heat have been linked as a potential landing spot for Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving, but ESPN’s Brian Windhorst believes Miami could be waiting to land an even bigger star.
Windhorst explained why Pat Riley and the Heat may wait to see if Kevin Durant wants out from Brooklyn rather than pursue Irving.
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“The godfather move is not to trade for Kyrie Irving,” Windhorst said. “The godfather move is to let the Kyrie Irving situation blow up and then wait for Kevin Durant to say he wants out of there. That’s the Miami Heat move.”
Irving, who has a player option for the 2022-23 season, could decide to opt in and request a trade, which may lead to Durant wanting to leave the Nets as well. Durant is still under contract for several years with Brooklyn.
It would be hard for any team to put together a package to acquire Durant, but Riley has been able to bring star players to Miami several times before.
Durant is a two-time champion and one of the greatest scorers in the history of the NBA. He would help improve Miami’s offense after it struggled to find consistent scoring beside Jimmy Butler in the playoffs in the 2021-22 season.
While Windhorst is just speculating, it would be a dream scenario for the Heat to sit back and acquire Durant after the Irving domino falls this offseason.
