THE BIGGEST TRADE OF THE SEASON! Miami Heat Land Former NBA MVP

After the departure of Jimmy Butler last month, the Miami Heat could be adding another superstar-level player this offseason.

Last month prior to the trade deadline, the team was linked to Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant. A trade never materialized because Durant denied a trade mid-season as part of his trade clause. However, talks are expected to be revisited this summer.

A trade proposed by Bleacher Report is:

Miami Heat receive: F Kevin Durant

Phoenix Suns receive: F/C Kel’el Ware, G Terry Rozier, F Duncan Robinson, 2025 first-round pick (top-10 protected via Golden State Warriors), 2031 first-round pick (unprotected)

For the Heat, adding Durant vaults the Heat to the top of Eastern Conference contenders. A trio consisting of Durant, Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo is a great mix of defense and scoring. The Heat are able to hold onto guys like Andrew Wiggins, Jaime Jaquez Jr., and Nikola Jovic. All three are impactful wings that have multi-dimensional skills to their games. Durant will be 37 at the start of next season. He has one year left on his contract and is set to hit free agency in 2026.

For the Suns, the experiment with Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal has not worked. The team traded a lot of draft capital along with Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson to add Durant back in 2023. The Suns could hit a small reset by adding a young star like Kel’el Ware. Since the Suns traded DeAndre Ayton, they have had an inconsistent presence at the center position. Terry Rozier and Duncan Robinson could also serve as veteran spark plugs off the bench for a team that lacks depth.

The two first-round picks are the real prize for Phoenix. The Heat could only have one season of Durant and return to Eastern Conference mediocrity after his exit. The 2031 first-round draft pick could be valuable.

HEAT SLIP DOWN POWER RANKINGS

The Miami Heat continue to slip down the NBA.com power rankings.

Last week, the Heat stood at No. 18. This week, the team is No. 20. Miami has gone 1-4 over the last five games. The Heat’s late-game woes continue to be a driving force in the team’s decline. Longtime NBA writer John Schuhmann further analyzed the team’s struggles.

“The four losses came by a total of 16 points, with the Heat struggling on both ends of the floor down the stretch,” Schuhmann wrote. “They’re essentially tied with the Bucks for last in clutch offense (96.9 points scored per 100 possessions), with both turnovers and missed shots (on good looks) plaguing them last week. Tyler Herro is now 27-for-95 (28 percent) on clutch shots, what would be the worst mark in the last 10 seasons for a player with at least 75 attempts.”

While there is an overall pessimistic outlook from fans as the Heat hunt for a playoff spot, some new additions to the rotation are performing well.

“The Heat got Andrew Wiggins and Kel’el Ware back from five and three-game absences, respectively, on Saturday. Their starting lineup (with Wiggins, Ware and Davion Mitchell) had its best outing (plus-9 in 13.7 minutes) and overall, they’ve been better on both ends of the floor in 318 minutes with Bam Adebayo on the floor together (plus-3.5 per 100 possessions) than they’ve been with Adebayo on the floor without the rookie (minus-2.1 per 100).”

The Heat have slid to No. 9 in the Eastern Conference, still hanging on to a Play-In Tournament nod. Miami has four games on the schedule this week, three of which are at home. The week begins Monday as the team hosts Charlotte. The Heat host the Clippers on Wednesday before a back-to-back on Friday and Saturday against the Celtics at home and Grizzlies on the road.

CHALMERS REFLECTS ON LEBRON LEAVING

Mario Chalmers was an integral piece of the Miami Heat’s championship years in 2012 and 2013.

Alongside LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, the Heat were one of the strongest teams in basketball over a four-season stretch behind the Big Three. Chalmers was the starting point guard, averaging near 10 points a game along with four assists.

In February, Wade appeared on Lou Williams’ podcast Changing the Game, where he suggested Pat Riley played a role in James’ departure in 2014.

Chalmers recently made an appearance on Dwight Howard’s podcast Above the Rim. He shared many of the same sentiments as Wade regarding the end of James’ tenure as a member of the Miami Heat, including how Heat staff took James’ cookies away from him.

“The whole plane was looking at Bron, like, ‘Wait… is he really mad about cookies right now?’ And he was,” Chalmers described.

“He was hot. And I get it, though—he had a routine. Every flight, he had two bowls of chocolate chip cookies. Like, eight in each bowl. Then he’d go to the back of the plane, get two scoops of ice cream, and tear that joint up. So, when they took the cookies? Man… he was pissed. Like, really pissed. And that’s when we all kind of looked at each other like, ‘Oh… this might be it. He’s gone after this season.’ I swear, I don’t ever wanna see that man mad like that again. You better get out of his way if he ain’t got his cookies. And here’s the kicker… we were on a 27-game winning streak. That’s why this is even crazier. We’re on the longest win streak in the league, and you really just removed this man’s cookies?”

Chalmers elaborated on the idea James and the team were micro-managed by Heat president Pat Riley. Even though the team had success, the front office stepped in and managed dietary restrictions.

The Big Three era concluded after the 2013-14 season. James left the organization to return home to Cleveland, where he won a title in 2016. Wade left the Heat after 13 seasons in 2016 to join the Chicago Bulls. Bosh had trouble staying on the court due to medical concerns, which unfortunately ended his career.