Apr 23, 2022; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant (7) looks up at the scoreboard in the third quarter against the Boston Celtics at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
Kevin Durant has interest in joining the Miami Heat, but a deal between the teams may not be feasible.
Miami is unwilling to include Jimmy Butler or Bam Adebayo in a deal for Durant. That leaves Brooklyn with very few options left. A potential Heat trade for Durant would likely send Tyler Herro and draft picks to the Nets. That alone apparently isn’t too enticing for the Nets.
The trade market was set so high in the Rudy Gobert deal that Brooklyn’s asking price for Durant is astronomical. Teams might have a hard time trading for Durant without gutting their current and future roster.
For Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra and his family, the last several months have been a whirlwind. Their son, Santiago, was diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma and immediately put into treatment one week after his fourth birthday.
This past Thursday, Santiago was proudly able to ring the gold bell at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital. And the family has announced that he is officially in remission.
“Our big boy got to ring the bell in the cancer wing at Nicklaus, and the gratitude I feel is overwhelming. Remission,” Santiago’s mother, Nikki Spoelstra, wrote on Instagram.
“My family and I are incredibly grateful to his pediatricians, the surgeons, the doctors, the nurses, the whole Child Life Team, and all of the staff at Nicklaus who took care of our boy… but also, our family. There were many tears but these special individuals all made sure that there were plenty of smiles and all the love and support to go around. There really aren’t enough words. Simply… Thank you.”
Despite the terrifying diagnosis, Santiago never lost his joy nor his hope. Now he’ll be able to return to his childhood, play with his friends and at least some degree, live without fear.
In addition to Santiago, the Spoelstras have another child, 2-year-old Dante, and are expected to soon welcome a third.
May 8, 2021; Denver, Colorado, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant (7) warms up before game against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports
There are several teams that have discussed the possibility of trading for Kevin Durant, but there is one that may be trying a bit harder than the rest to land the two-time NBA Finals MVP.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on Monday’s edition of “Get Up” that the Miami Heat remain “very motivated” to find a way to acquire Durant. One of the reasons negotiations have been complicated is that Bam Adebayo and Ben Simmons cannot be on the same team. NBA rules prohibit teams from having two players on their roster who are playing under Designated Rookie contracts.
“(The Nets have) got to get value for him and they’ve got to get significant value for him. The trade scenarios out there are still complex,” Wojnarowski said. “Miami is a very motivated team, but Bam Adebayo and Ben Simmons can’t be on a team together based on their contracts. There would have to be a lot of third and fourth team involvement.”
The Phoenix Suns also remain interested, but they can no longer trade Deandre Ayton until midway through next season after matching the offer sheet the Indiana Pacers signed him to. You can hear more from Woj below:
"The Nets are still trying to find a deal for Kevin Durant."
Miami has made Durant a priority, but they need to find a way to satisfy the Nets’ demands. That will be no easy task.
If the Heat can’t work something out with the Nets, they may turn their attention toward Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell. Though, there would be some obstacles in a trade like that, too.
Dec 21, 2019; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Houston Rockets forward PJ Tucker (17) against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Just minutes into the NBA offseason free agency period, agent Andre Buck announced that PJ Tucker had signed with the Philadelphia 76ers.
The three-year, $33 million deal was agreed upon so swiftly that it raised a few eyebrows. One of those eyebrows belonged to the league office, who will now consider investigating the Sixers for tampering.
“I’m told that Philadelphia’s signing of P.J. Tucker is also likely to be placed under the investigation microscope by the league office. Tucker, of course, was signed away from the Miami Heat, who were docked a second-round pick as a penalty for “early free agency discussions” connected to their sign-and-trade acquisition of Kyle Lowry last summer,” Marc Stein reported via his substack.
The 37-year-old Tucker had already been linked to Philly because of his ties to James Harden and Daryl Morey, who all spent time together in Houston. And for Morey, it’s not the first time he’s been accused of (or disciplined for) tampering.
Although an official investigation has not yet been launched, it would be true to form for the NBA. They’ve been much stricter about tampering of late and have dolled out quite a bit of punishment for the violation. The Milwaukee Bucks (Bogdan Bogdanović), Miami Heat (Kyle Lowry) and Chicago Bulls (Lonzo Ball) have all been docked second-round picks in recent years.
If and when the NBA does launch their investigation, it may take months to reach a conclusion. In addition to lost draft picks, a potential consequence is having Tucker’s contract terminated all together — although that seems far less likely.
Dec 7, 2019; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell (45) warms up prior to their game against the Memphis Grizzlies at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
The Miami Heat are looking for ways to make a big splash on the trade market, but they have run into some obstacles that may be difficult to overcome.
The Heat have been involved in trade discussions for both Kevin Durant and Donovan Mitchell. According to Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer, Miami has yet to propose a trade for Durant that the Brooklyn Nets would consider. The reason for that is that the Heat have not come up with a way to meet Brooklyn’s asking price while also being able to assemble a championship-caliber roster around Durant and Jimmy Butler. Those same issues have probably come up in any talks they have had with the Utah Jazz about Mitchell.
Utah may not be interested in what the Heat have to offer, anyway. Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune reported on Thursday that the Jazz want the Heat to involve a third team in any potential trade talks for Mitchell.
The Jazz appear to have reset the trade market when they traded Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a package headlined by Patrick Beverley, Malik Beasley and four first-round picks. Utah probably wants even more than that for Mitchell, and the Brooklyn Nets certainly expect a greater return in any Durant deal.
Nov 13, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Patrick Beverley (22) enters a game against Los Angeles Clippers during the first quarter at Staples Center. The Clippers won 129-102. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
Veteran guard Patrick Beverley may be living long enough to see himself become his own villain.
Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer reported on Wednesday that Beverley, who was recently acquired by the Utah Jazz, appears to be a “strong” candidate to get traded once again. Fischer notes that Beverley has received interest from both the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers.
The former All-Defensive First Teamer Beverley was acquired by the Jazz as part of the Rudy Gobert blockbuster with the Minnesota Timberwolves. But Utah may be putting on their tanking hats, and even Beverley himself doesn’t sound convinced about his future with them.
The Heat would be a very unexpected landing spot since Beverley, who was acquired by Miami on draft night in 2009 and later cut by them, has carried a grudge against the Heat throughout his career. But the Lakers would be even more unexpected with Beverley’s infamous history of going at them, especially star player LeBron James.
Though Beverley is 34 with durability concerns, he is a tone-setter with his heart and defensive intensity and also cashes threes at a career 37.8 percent clip. Beverley might be able to let bygones be bygones with the Heat after nearly a decade-and-a-half. But it will require Beverley to make amends with more players than just James if he ends up going to the Lakers.
Sep 22, 2017; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat president Pat Riley address reporters during a press conference at AmericanAirlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
The Miami Heat remain in wait-and-see mode on the biggest possible move of the offseason.
The Heat remain firmly interested in adding Kevin Durant to the roster via trade, and have even put other business on hold until they get clarity on that pursuit, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. That includes any possible trade for Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, an outcome that still appears far-fetched.
Andy and Sean were chatting at their hotel. Heat determined to exhaust all options to acquire Durant before pursuing anything else significant. Donovan Mitchell obviously looms as an option, though he hasn't requested trade and Jazz isn't shopping him. https://t.co/vq4eNmtUL7
The Heat’s stance outlines how seriously they are committed to adding Durant. Of course, if the Heat don’t get Durant, it’s fairly unlikely they will attempt any major business anyway, so they are mostly swinging for the fences with this one move.
Any move sending Durant to the Heat would probably be a complicated one. That’s due to NBA rules, as well as Durant’s trade preferences and what the Brooklyn Nets want in return for him. The Heat are clearly committed to at least trying to make it work, though.
Sep 22, 2017; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat president Pat Riley address reporters during a press conference at AmericanAirlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
The Miami Heat may be looking to trade with a once-unfathomable team.
Ian Begley of SportsNet New York reported this week that the Heat have spoken with the New York Knicks about a potential trade for Cam Reddish.
“I would assume the Knicks are picking up the phone on calls that they get,” Begley told Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer, per SI. “I do know that Miami is among the teams that has spoken to the Knicks about Reddish specifically.”
Reddish, 22, is a long wing player who could help the Heat defensively as they look to compensate for the loss of PJ Tucker in free agency. But the more interesting aspect of this rumor is the possibility of the Knicks and Heat actually linking up on a trade.
The two Eastern Conference teams had arguably the NBA’s fiercest rivalry in the 1990s, owed to several heated playoff battles and the lingering bad blood over Pat Riley’s defection from the Knicks to the Heat. Since then, the two have virtually never traded with each other. In fact, their last transaction came when the Knicks got $1 million and a future first-rounder (that they turned into Walter McCarty) from the Heat as compensation for Riley’s departure (and also to convince the Knicks to drop tampering charges).
Granted, the Knicks-Heat rivalry has cooled considerably since they have met just once in the playoffs over the last two decades (in 2012). But Riley is still in charge of Miami, and it would be a shock to see him ever trading with his former team, especially since Riley does not too seem fond of one current Knicks figure.
May 25, 2022; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) brings the ball up court during the fourth quarter of game five of the 2022 eastern conference finals against the Boston Celtics at FTX Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports
PJ Tucker is heading to the Philadelphia 76ers, and Jimmy Butler is not happy about it.
The 76ers reached agreement with Tucker on a three-year contract worth $33.2 million on Thursday after Tucker officially opted out of his contract with the Miami Heat. Tucker posted a farewell message Wednesday to the organization and its fans on Instagram.
“What a year…True underdogs that really got it out the mud and went against all odds,” Tucker wrote. “Miami you will forever be my home and heat nation i can’t thank you guys enough for the love you’ve shown all year. Though our journey together has come to an end the love will forever remain the same.”
Butler issued his own less cordial goodbye to Tucker in a comment on the post.
“f— you and @joelembiid yeah I brought him into this,” Butler wrote.
Tucker averaged 7.6 points, 2.1 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game with the Heat last season, but his physicality and solid defense played a big part in Miami’s run to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics.
Joel Embiid reportedly was in full support of Philadelphia’s pursuit of Tucker. He even singled out Tucker after the 76ers’ second-round playoff loss as the kind of player that the team needed in order to compete for an NBA title.
Butler hasn’t hidden his displeasure over the 76ers trading him to the Heat in 2019. He even reminded Philly of what they gave up after the Heat eliminated the 76ers this past postseason.
Dec 7, 2019; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell (45) warms up prior to their game against the Memphis Grizzlies at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
The Utah Jazz have already traded one of their franchise pillars to start their offseason. A new report suggests that they may not be done dealing, either.
The Jazz are keeping their options open regarding star guard Donovan Mitchell, according to Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune. While the sentiment seems to be that the team still plans to rebuild around Mitchell, they have not closed the door on using him as a trade chip in order to launch a rebuild.
Notably, Larsen mentions the Miami Heat as a potential suitor for Mitchell. The Heat have reportedly been “aggressive” in pursuing Mitchell and will continue to be if they cannot land Kevin Durant.
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.
The Heat obviously would like to make a big move, and Mitchell would be that. However, they may just be aiming high here depending on how willing Utah actually is to make that sort of deal.
The Jazz are one of the most intriguing franchises to watch at this point. They traded Rudy Gobert on Friday, signifying a willingness to make major changes. However, they’ve also been linked with at least one player who profiles as the sort to keep them competitive in the short-term.
