As the offseason rages on, the Brooklyn Nets continue to canvas the league for a trade partner. Weeks after requesting a change of scenery, Kevin Durant is still on the roster and his options are slowly dwindling.
Despite being one of two teams on Durant’s preferred destinations list, the Suns have yet to make a serious offer for Durant and have really limited their avenues to make a deal after matching the max offer sheet for Deandre Ayton.
In Miami, the Heat remain serious contenders for KD, but the pieces they have to offer may not be enough to make a deal happen. In an article, Kurt Helin dropped the latest update on the situation in South Beach.
The Miami Heat are one of the top suitors for both Donovan Mitchell and Kevin Durant (KD specifically put the Heat on his two-team list). They are not close to a deal for either, and draft picks are part of the issue.
The Miami Heat currently can trade two of their own first-round draft picks. That number could jump to three if the Heat can strike a deal with the Thunder to change the protections on their 2025 first-round pick (that pick is currently lottery protected, if it doesn’t convey the first year it is unprotected in 2026).
Two first-rounders are likely not enough to land Kevin Durant either, although the Nets are more focused on players and not simply picks. In the case of Durant, the Nets want an All-Star and the buzz from league sources is they are lukewarm on a Herro and Robinson package, even with more picks.
The Nets have all the leverage, and it’s clear that they do not take that lightly. For a player of Durant’s caliber, Brooklyn will only accept a monster offer that includes picks and at least one young All-Star.
The Heat could certainly make an offer that meets those demands on paper, but the Nets know that neither Herro nor Duncan are guys that any team would build a team around. Unless the Heat get a third squad in there, it’s looking unlikely they strike a deal for the 2x Finals MVP.
