Kevin Durant Trade Rumors: Heat Offer Holds 'Little Interest' from Nets

The Miami Heat were once regarded as one of the teams with the best chances of trading for Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant, but that no longer appears to be the case.

According to Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald, the Nets "have displayed little interest in the Heat's offer for the high-scoring superstar and Miami is moving ahead with its current roster for next season."

Jackson and Chiang noted that the Nets have shown interest in Heat center Bam Adebayo, but he hasn't been included in Miami's trade offers and the team "appears disinclined" to add him to discussions. However, Brooklyn would only be able to add Adebayo if it trades away Ben Simmons because of the designated rookie extension rule, which states that a team can't have two players on its roster signed to such extensions who were acquired via trade.

Durant reportedly requested a trade from the Nets in late June, and ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Miami and the Phoenix Suns were among his preferred destinations. But Brooklyn understandably has a high asking price for the 12-time All-Star, and no team has been able to meet those demands so far.

The Heat have enticing pieces such as 2022 Sixth Man of the Year Tyler Herro and three-point sharpshooter Duncan Robinson. Miami also has solid draft pick compensation to include in a potential deal.

Per Jackson and Chiang, the Heat are "currently eligible to include two unprotected first-round picks in a trade offer and could unlock a third unprotected first-round pick" if they manage to lift the lottery protections on a 2025 first-round pick owed to the Oklahoma City Thunder. That also would allow Miami to include three pick swaps in its offer to Brooklyn.

Still, it doesn't appear to be attractive enough for the Nets to part ways with Durant. All indications point to the situation likely continuing to play out during training camp and possibly into the regular season.