Kevin Durant has shaken the world recently with his trade request, and there’s no doubt that a lot of franchises in the league are likely due their due diligence on a potential trade.
However, there are definitely some teams that Kevin Durant prefers to go to over others, and it was previously reported that his preferred destinations are the Miami Heat and the Phoenix Suns.
Phoenix and Miami are among two of the teams that Kevin Durant has on his wish list, sources tell ESPN, but the Nets plan to move Durant where they can get the best possible deal. With four years on his contract, there’s no shortage of teams willing to unload assets for Durant.
For the Miami Heat specifically, there are some obstacles in getting a trade done currently. It was recently revealed that Kevin Durant only wants to be on the Heat if Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Kyle Lowry are on the roster, and it is definitely difficult to see a deal happening that way.
As for the Miami possibility that also seems to be in play, I’m told there’s a significant obstacle on that front. Durant, it seems, would only want to play on a Heat team that includes Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry. So even if the Heat were willing to move Butler in a deal as a way of satisfying the Nets’ (understandably pricey) request, doing so would leave Durant discontented from the start.
However, it seems as though the Miami Heat have a backup plan. Utah Jazz insider Andy Larsen has recently revealed that the Miami Heat will continue “to be aggressive” in trying to acquire Donovan Mitchell.
In particular, watch Miami. Obviously, Kevin Durant is their No. 1 target, but if that doesn't work out, they have been and will continue to be aggressive re: Mitchell.
— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) July 1, 2022
FWIW: I’m hearing some pushback regarding the idea that the Jazz are definitely keeping Donovan Mitchell moving forward. Sense is that the Jazz are keeping their options open here: they could retool around Mitchell, or trade him for a massive haul to jumpstart a rebuild.
In particular, watch Miami. Obviously, Kevin Durant is their No. 1 target, but if that doesn’t work out, they have been and will continue to be aggressive re: Mitchell.
There is no doubt that Donovan Mitchell would be a good addition to the Miami Heat, especially if they can keep Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo on the roster. He could definitely help them offensively.
The Miami Heat have often been linked to Donovan Mitchell, but it remains to be seen if they are able to get a deal done. They have the assets to do so, and we’ll see how this situation develops going forward.
