Report: Heat improved their offer for Kevin Durant but ‘could not compete’ with final Rockets package
The Miami Heat’s latest pursuit of star forward Kevin Durant via trade is officially over after it was revealed on Sunday that he is heading to the Houston Rockets.
In exchange for the all-time great scorer and two-time NBA champion, the Rockets will part ways with guard Jalen Green, forward Dillon Brooks, five second-round picks and the No. 10 overall selection in the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft
The Phoenix Suns are getting an elite perimeter defender, gifted young scorer and plenty of draft capital in exchange for Durant, and according to Heat insider Barry Jackson, Miami couldn’t compete with that despite improving its offer.Jackson later added more.
“For a player that age and with that injury history, Heat did not want to include multiples firsts PLUS multiple young players it values,” Jackson wrote on X. “It would have given up one of each (one first and one young player it likes, though they didn’t want to give up [Kel’el] Ware). That was their philosophy in February, and the end of last season didn’t make them change that philosophy
NBA insider Jake Fischer reported earlier in the month that Miami’s offer for Durant could’ve ended up being the “most enticing” option from the Suns’ perspective, but the Heat evidently didn’t end up making that a reality, as Durant is a Rocket after Houston offered up a whole lot for his services.The tea leaves may suggest that Miami didn’t feel as if the juice was worth the squeeze to acquire Durant via trade, as Ethan J. Skolnick of Five Reasons Sports indicated previously that the Heat didn’t think the upside of a possible Durant trade was as much of a “slam dunk” as the trade that brought star big man Shaquille O’Neal to Miami was.
ESPN’s Shams Charania also provided some valuable insight after he broke the news of Durant being traded to Houston on Sunday.
“The Suns’ conversations focused on the Rockets and Heat in recent days, but both teams showed an unwillingness to part with young cornerstones such as Jabari Smith Jr. and Reed Sheppard (Houston) and Kel’el Ware (Miami) in a Durant deal, sources said,” Charania wrote. “The Heat made multiple offers for Durant but ultimately turned down the opportunity to place Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jovic, Haywood Highsmith, the No. 20 pick and other draft assets in a deal, sources said.”
At least on paper, the addition of Durant has the Rockets primed to be one of the best teams in the Western Conference next season. After all, Houston ended up as the No. 2 seed in the conference without a top scoring option of Durant’s caliber this season, and he might be just what the doctor ordered for the Rockets to compete for a championship in 2026.
It should be interesting to find out if the Rockets are able to build on this season’s success next season with Durant in the fold
