Zach Lowe believes the Miami Heat saw where they were clearly when trying to land Kevin Durant.
After Kevin Durant moved to the Houston Rockets, the Miami Heat are now keeping their eye out on the next big superstar they can land.
The Miami Heat were one of the favorites to land Kevin Durant. However, there was one asset they just weren’t willing to give up.
The Suns reportedly demanded Heat center Kel’el Ware during negotiations. In the end, the Heat deemed that to be unacceptable.
While Heat fans were not happy about missing out on Durant, president Pat Riley already made his decision and stood by it.
Zach Lowe believes the Heat didn’t give up Ware not just because of his high potential, but also because they came to a sobering realization that led to them pulling out of the Kevin Durant sweepstakes.
Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty ImagesZach Lowe claims Miami Heat realized they wouldn’t be good enough even with Kevin Durant
NBA insider Zach Lowe spoke on his podcast about the Miami Heat and their recent failed attempt at landing Kevin Durant.
He believes that when the Suns demanded Kel’el Ware be part of the trade package, the Heat understood where they were, and that Durant wouldn’t suddenly make them title contenders.
“On Ware – obviously he was famously not touchable in the Kevin Durant trade talks. And they actually were even more protective of their asset base than that.
“I’ve talked about what they were and what they weren’t willing to put on the table. And I think that was wise and probably difficult.
“A look in the mirror moment for the Heat, who always want the next big thing. They decided, ‘We’re actually just not ready. We’re not good enough to justify a swing like that.’”
Pat Riley must focus on the future
The Miami Heat have a strong young core of players. Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro are the All-Star caliber leaders of a young squad that has some talented stars.
Kasparas Jakucionis could be a great point guard for them in the years to come. The Heat are impressed with Jakucionis’ Summer League performances so far.
With Kel’el Ware now aware of the Heat prioritizing him over Kevin Durant, the young star will be even more motivated to improve as a player.
Adding Norman Powell to the Heat roster will only help their veteran depth. Next season, the Heat could genuinely surprise a lot of fans.