The Miami Heat missed another deal for the superstar, this time Kevin Durant.
Kevin Durant headed for the Houston Rockets, and the trade was announced hours before Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
Durant’s exit from the Phoenix Suns was format, but the big question was where he was going.
The OKC Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks were previously tilted as possibilities, but were later narrowed down to three teams. Rockets, Miami Heat, and San Antonio Spurs.
Miami was the Rockets’ most desperate rival. They added a superstar and tried to seduce Durant to play in the Eastern Conference for the first time in his career.
In the end, the Rockets made an excellent offer and discouraged Miami Heat fans.
The Miami Heat was swept away in the first round of the NBA playoffs by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
They traded the unfortunate Jimmy Butler midseason and hoped Durant could fill the gap.
The failure to land Durant made fans worried about the team’s future.
“This heat roster sucks. It should be all about the screws,” an unfortunate fan wrote to X.
Others repeated these thoughts, posting, “Bam, trade hero, everyone exchanged now!”
Others pointed their thoughts at the front office by posting, “Please fire Pat Riley.”
“It never happened,” another wrote, but the fifth, reflecting the Houston deal, “we couldn’t compete with that offer.”
Others continued to suffer from Miami’s near misses, posting, “There’s nothing new Miami still drops the ball.”
“It’s always Miami,” another wrote.
Here’s the Houston Rockets’ winning offer against Kevin Durant:
- Houston Rockets Received: Kevin Durant
- Phoenix Sands receive: Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, 10th and 5th second round picks in the 2025 draft
According to ESPN, Miami pushed hard but decided not to trade with everything possible.
ESPN writes: “The fever brought multiple offers for Durant, but ultimately turned down the opportunity to place Jaime Jaques Jr., Nicola Jovic, Haywood Highsmith, No. 20 pick and other draft assets in the transaction.”
Many would argue that this was the cost Miami had to pay. It remains to be seen where they will change this offseason.
This goes down as a major opportunity missed due to the heat, and Pat Reilly needs to get to work.