NBA Trade Rumors: After falling short at the NBA Trade Deadline, the Miami Heat could just be buying their time to target a superstar.
In an attempt to make lemonade out of lemons, the Miami Heat explored the possibility of acquiring Kevin Durant as part of a bigger Jimmy Butler deal with the Phoenix Suns. However, to no avail, the team wasn't able to pull off the move. But even though the Suns declined the Heat's trade offer for KD at the trade deadline, that doesn't mean the dream of pairing KD along with Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo is completely dead.
If the recent reports are any indication, there's going to be a good chance for a team to pry KD away from the Suns. There are already whispers that KD is not happy with Phoenix after they tried to move him at the NBA Trade Deadline and there is also smoke that suggests that while KD had no interest in a reunion with the Golden State Warriors, he very much would've been open to playing in Miami.
At the very least, that's something noteworthy to keep a close eye on if there does end up being a KD trade sweepstakes once again this offseason. With the moves that the Heat made at the trade deadline, the argument could be made that they are perfectly aligned to make a bold move for a superstar sooner rather than later.
The Miami Heat have positioned themselves to pursue a superstar
When this season ends, the Heat will have three tradable first-round picks, pick swaps, and a good core of young players that they could send out in any deal for a superstar. They'd also have Andrew Wiggins' contract (which is 1+1 with a player option) that they could use to help them match salary.
While the Heat wasn't able to get full value in exchange for Jimmy at the trade deadline, the return they did get will certainly help this team get back in a position where they can be competitive in terms of trading for impact players. When it comes to KD, Miami may not even have to put all of that on the table.
Entering the final year of his contract, KD is going to have some say in where he gets traded if it comes to that. If he were to tell Phoenix he wants to be moved to Miami, the Heat would certainly be in a strong position to land the All-Star forward. I wouldn't say it would make them the unanimous favorite, especially how the Damian Lillard situation played out, but it would give the team an added boost to make such a possible move.
For the first time in a long time, the Heat have the assets to go out and make a competitive offer for a superstar. Whether it's pursuing KD or another big-name star, the Heat are building toward a big move. And it could very well come as soon as this summer.