{"id":59868,"date":"2025-05-09T00:50:09","date_gmt":"2025-05-09T00:50:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=59868"},"modified":"2025-05-09T00:50:09","modified_gmt":"2025-05-09T00:50:09","slug":"heat-predicted-to-land-26-ppg-star-in-blockbuster-trade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=59868","title":{"rendered":"Heat Predicted to Land 26-PPG Star in Blockbuster Trade"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"post-featured-container-id\">\n<div id=\"post-featured\">\n<div>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-2212487505.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 820px) 95vw, 780px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-2212487505.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780 780w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-2212487505.jpg?quality=15&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-2212487505.jpg?quality=35&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1350 1350w\" alt=\"Heat Predicted to Land 26-PPG Star in Blockbuster Trade\" width=\"780\" height=\"520\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Getty<\/p>\n<p>The Miami Heat are predicted to land a star this offseason.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Miami Heat are predicted to land Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant in a blockbuster trade this offseason.<\/p>\n<p>Bleacher Report\u2019s Greg Swartz made the bold prediction as Durant and the Suns are expected to part ways.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKevin Durant is coming off another monster season (26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.2 blocks, 43.0 percent from three), yet he\u2019s entering the final year of his contract.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Suns have to do something to move past a disappointing 36-46 season in which they paid over $350 million in roster and luxury-tax costs. Trading Durant is perhaps the easiest way to shake things up,\u201d Swartz wrote.<\/p>\n<p>The Suns cannot trade Bradley Beal unless he waives his no-trade clause, which he doesn\u2019t want to. They made Devin Booker untouchable, leaving Durant as their only valuable trade chip.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Heat, Kevin Durant \u2018Had Mutual Interest\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>The Heat could be in play as they had mutual interest with Durant at the trade deadline when they were working on a Jimmy Butler trade.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBack at the NBA trade deadline, there was a list of teams with which there was mutual interest with Kevin Durant,\u201d\u00a0ESPN\u2019s Shams Charania said on \u201cThe Pat McAfee Show\u201d\u00a0at the time. \u201cThose teams, from my understanding, are Minnesota, that\u2019s New York, Houston, San Antonio and Miami.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThose are the types of teams, from my understanding, that had interest then, and I expect them all to be in the mix this offseason. But the biggest thing to keep an eye on for all NBA fans and fans of those teams is: How does your team finish in the playoffs? How do the playoffs go? Because that\u2019s going to really determine who feels like they\u2019re a Kevin Durant away.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>By process of elimination, Swartz concluded that the Heat is one of the two teams where Durant will likely land.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The Rockets and Spurs have the assets to go after Durant, but both should be prioritizing younger stars to grow with their cores. Durant will turn 37 in September.<\/p>\n<p>New York is low on draft picks after the Mikal Bridges deal and shouldn\u2019t be in a hurry to shake up what\u2019s become a strong starting five led by Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.<\/p>\n<p>With Minnesota still alive in the playoffs and Miami swept out in the first round, the Heat should already be placing calls to new Suns general manager Brian Gregory about acquiring Durant.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Suns Transitioning From \u2018Big 3\u2019 Model<\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_5277627\">\n<div>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/GettyImages-1728853647-e1739930078169.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=782\" alt=\"Heat Predicted to Land 26-PPG Star in Blockbuster Trade\" width=\"782\" height=\"439\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5277627\" data-lazy-load=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-5277627\">Getty (L-R) Bradley Beal, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns watch from the bench.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>NBA insider Chris Haynes reported that they are moving on from the Big 3 model, which did not result in any playoff success over the last two seasons.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne thing that I was told is that the Suns want to transition,\u201d\u00a0Haynes said on \u201cHaynes\u2019 Briefs\u201d on April 18. \u201cThey want to move away from the model that they\u2019ve been going after for the previous two years of accumulating star talent, star players and then trying to see if it can mesh on the court. They want to move away from that and they are going to move away from that.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo, the purpose right now and the goal moving into next season is to accumulate defensive-minded tough players. They want to play a defensive-minded, grind-it-out type of game. They want to have a product on a court that fans can appreciate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Heat have plenty of defensive-minded players from forward Andrew Wiggins to point guard Davion Mitchell.<\/p>\n<p>Alder Almo is a basketball journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com. He has more than 15 years of experience in local and international media, including broadcast, print and digital. He previously covered the Knicks for Empire Sports Media and the NBA for Off the Glass. Alder is from the Philippines and is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey. More about Alder Almo<\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Speculation grows about the Miami Heat trading for Kevin Durant. Find out more about this anticipated move.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":59869,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-59868","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Heat Predicted to Land 26-PPG Star in Blockbuster Trade - News 365<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=59868\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Heat Predicted to Land 26-PPG Star in Blockbuster Trade - News 365\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Speculation grows about the Miami Heat trading for Kevin Durant. Find out more about this anticipated move.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=59868\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News 365\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-05-09T00:50:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-2212487505.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"780\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"520\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"MrLuu\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"MrLuu\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=59868\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=59868\",\"name\":\"Heat Predicted to Land 26-PPG Star in Blockbuster Trade - News 365\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=59868#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=59868#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-2212487505.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-09T00:50:09+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-09T00:50:09+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4b0ce8eb15dad4ee0f31887a7eb66fb6\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=59868#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=59868\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=59868#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-2212487505.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-2212487505.jpg\",\"width\":780,\"height\":520},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=59868#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Heat Predicted to Land 26-PPG Star in Blockbuster Trade\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"News 365\",\"description\":\"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4b0ce8eb15dad4ee0f31887a7eb66fb6\",\"name\":\"MrLuu\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/27290e42aedd9867dbebe2f5dbfd5135e0d4cac63c12fabb4e8d0e4472737a5b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/27290e42aedd9867dbebe2f5dbfd5135e0d4cac63c12fabb4e8d0e4472737a5b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"MrLuu\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?author=6\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Heat Predicted to Land 26-PPG Star in Blockbuster Trade - News 365","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=59868","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Heat Predicted to Land 26-PPG Star in Blockbuster Trade - News 365","og_description":"Speculation grows about the Miami Heat trading for Kevin Durant. Find out more about this anticipated move.","og_url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=59868","og_site_name":"News 365","article_published_time":"2025-05-09T00:50:09+00:00","og_image":[{"width":780,"height":520,"url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-2212487505.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"MrLuu","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"MrLuu","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=59868","url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=59868","name":"Heat Predicted to Land 26-PPG Star in Blockbuster Trade - News 365","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=59868#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=59868#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-2212487505.jpg","datePublished":"2025-05-09T00:50:09+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-09T00:50:09+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4b0ce8eb15dad4ee0f31887a7eb66fb6"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=59868#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=59868"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=59868#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-2212487505.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-2212487505.jpg","width":780,"height":520},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=59868#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Heat Predicted to Land 26-PPG Star in Blockbuster Trade"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/","name":"News 365","description":"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4b0ce8eb15dad4ee0f31887a7eb66fb6","name":"MrLuu","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/27290e42aedd9867dbebe2f5dbfd5135e0d4cac63c12fabb4e8d0e4472737a5b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/27290e42aedd9867dbebe2f5dbfd5135e0d4cac63c12fabb4e8d0e4472737a5b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"MrLuu"},"url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?author=6"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59868","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=59868"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59868\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":59870,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59868\/revisions\/59870"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/59869"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=59868"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=59868"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=59868"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}