The Kevin Durant trade saga finally came to an end after the Rockets acquired him from the Suns in a blockbuster move. Before the trade, the Heat were among the frontrunners to potentially trade for Kevin Durant. But according to reports, all their negotiations broke down when the Heat refused to include their star sophomore center, Kel’el Ware, in any trade packages for Durant.
Now, days after the Durant trade has gone through with the Rockets, the Heat star rookie from last season, Ware, broke his silence on the team’s refusal to trade him and show faith in him.
“It made me feel the Heat wanted me and they want to see how far I can get in the future and see how my development goes,” said Ware ahead of the Heat’s Summer League games.
“That makes me want to show them what I can do and how far I can go. They see the potential in me, and they see what I can be. So my main goal is to just sort of repay that they didn’t make a mistake.”
When further asked about his initial reaction to finding out that the Suns were demanding him, and the Heat refused to fulfill their wishes, he gave a humble response.
“I didn’t really see too much of it,” Ware said. “It was one of the things I was like, if it happens, it happens. If not, it doesn’t. You’ve got to think the Heat didn’t want to give me up, but that means the other team wanted me. I didn’t really pay no mind to it.”
Kel’el Ware has only played his rookie season so far for the Heat, where he averaged 9.3 points and 7.4 rebounds in the regular season. The Suns likely felt that only Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo were untouchable in that trade negotiation, but the Heat seemed to reassure their faith in the 21-year-old center and ensured that he has a long-term future with the Heat and hence, untouchable in that trade discussion.
The Heat have officially begun their rebuild around Tyler Herro after trading away Jimmy Butler last season. The franchise seems to view Ware as a long-term piece alongside Herro in their future. The Heat are coming off an early first-round exit after a 4-0 sweep against the Cavaliers in the Playoffs. Yet, most of it can be credited to the fact that they traded away their franchise player in the middle of last season and now need to build their strategies around letting Herro run the offense.
As a 7’0″ center, Kel’el Ware is an athletic, rim-protecting big with a strong scoring touch. He is renowned for his ability to finish plays near the rim, his versatility in the post, and his dynamic scoring from mid-range. Ware is very good at blocking shots and guarding the paint on defense. The Heat could use a player like him as a pivotal asset to the team for a long time if he stays consistent and healthy.
