Heat Reportedly Against Including Kel'el Ware in Kevin Durant Trade Package to Suns

The Miami Heat are "firmly against" trading center Kel'el Ware to the Phoenix Suns as part of a package for Kevin Durant, according to NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer.

"Just like Poeltl in Toronto, Miami is said to be firmly against including standout rookie center Kel'el Ware in their offers for Durant, sources say," Stein and Fischer reported Friday. "Without Ware in a theoretical trade, Phoenix is presumed to be seeking future first-round draft capital from Miami to help deliver Durant to South Beach at long last."

ESPN's Shams Charania previously reported that the Heat, along with the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs, were among the teams that Durant "would commit to long-term" following a potential trade.

Miami and Phoenix also "traded proposals" for a Durant trade prior to the Feb. 6 deadline, per ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst. Talks eventually broke down as the Suns were seeking "significant compensation" for the two-time champion, though.

Now, Miami appears to be one of Durant's top interested suitors once again.

The Heat will likely need to give up draft compensation to make a deal work, with Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo reportedly off the table in negotiations.

Miami has control of its own first-round picks in 2026, 2028, 2029, 2030 and 2031. The Heat also hold the No. 20 overall choice in the 2025 NBA draft due to their decision to move Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors.

It's understandable that Miami doesn't seem to be willing to part ways with Ware, as the 21-year-old showed promise on both ends of the floor throughout his rookie season.

Ware averaged 9.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 22.2 minutes per game across 64 appearances. He shot 55.4 percent from the field and displayed long-range shooting potential, connecting on 35 total triples.

For his efforts, Ware was selected as a member of the All-Rookie Second Team.

As the Heat continue their pursuit of Durant, they're reportedly attempting to hold onto Ware.