Kevin Durant trade would force Heat to choose between key young players
The Miami Heat
It’s the worst-kept secret in the world that the Miami Heat are currently scouring the trade market in hopes of landing a star player who could rejuvenate this franchise’s championship hopes. Kevin Durant has been one of the names mostly linked to the Heat over the last few months, and he’s emerged as one of the most realistic options for the franchise.
If they’re going to make a bold move this offseason, it would make sense to start with KD. Whether the Heat could actually pull off the move for the superstar forward remains to be seen. However, if there’s one thing that’s clear, it’s that if they do manage to find a path toward a blockbuster deal, it’s going to force Miami to choose between their key young players.Any trade for KD is probably going to start with two first-round picks, at least. After that, the Heat is going to need some salary filler contracts to make the money work. Then, it’ll be time to decide which young players also get included in the deal.
Kel’el Ware should be the only young player Miami draws a hard line for
Miami has a strong group of young prospects that they should be excited about. Pelle Larsson, Nikola Jovic, Jamie Jaquez Jr., and Kel’el Ware have all had their bright spots through the first few years of their young careers. Choosing which prospects the Heat would want to keep on their roster could be difficult and challenging.Larsson has real promise and potential as a two-way difference-maker down the line. Jovic is still growing his game and made great strides this past season. Even though Jaquez Jr. had a “down” year, you’d have to imagine he’s chomping at the bit to bounce back in a big way in year 3. And when he was healthy and comfortable in his role, he was quite effective during his rookie season.
That said, there’s only one young player the Heat should absolutely keep out of a KD trade offer. That’s Ware.
It’s not just that Ware has the most potential of all their young pieces; it’s that he’s so valuable to the team for so many different reasons. For one, he has the chance to be the defensive anchor this team has been missing next to Bam Adebayo. He’s certainly not there yet, but Ware does have Defensive Player of the Year potential in his future
As much as he fits what the Heat have been looking for next to Bam on the defensive end of the floor, he does so as well offensively. Even though he’s just scratching the surface of the player he can be on that end of the floor, he’s already shown great signs of promise. Add in the fact that Bam has also voiced confidence and strong support for Ware, and it gives the Heat more reason to be protective of him.
Perhaps most importantly, the Heat (or anyone) doesn’t really know what Ware can be at his peak. The sky is the limit for the young big, and it would be foolish for Miami not to explore every avenue to keep him on the roster
We may be having a different conversation if the Heat explores the option of trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo or another star player in their prime. However, in any potential offer for KD, I can’t imagine there’s a scenario where including Ware in the package makes any sense for Miami
