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Miami Heat 'Hesitant' to Include Young Star in Trade For Kevin Durant

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Nathaniel Holloway | Last updated Jun 13, 2025 12:49 AM ET

Trade rumors are swirling as the NBA offseason is right around the corner and the main player they are centered around is Phoenix Suns star forward Kevin Durant.

The Suns are expected to move on from Durant this summer after they failed to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2019-20 season.

Of course, Phoenix’s big three of Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal underperformed during their time together and the Suns are expected to not only move on from Durant this summer, but also Beal as they try to rebuild their roster around Booker.

For Durant, he is expected to be moved in the coming weeks, likely before the 2025 NBA Draft as the Suns try to land another first-round pick to help their rebuild.

There have been many teams linked to Durant but the main five that continue to be reported are the San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks and Miami Heat.

These five teams could all build strong trade packages for Durant, though a recent report suggest the Heat may be unwilling to include one of their young star players in trade talks.

According to Five Reasons Sports, the Heat are hesitant to include Kel’el Ware in a deal for Durant this offseason.

The Miami Heat are hesitant to include Kel’el Ware in a deal for Kevin Durant, per @5ReasonsSports

(h/t @heatvshaters) pic.twitter.com/QvnZ3xvaN8
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 13, 2025

This does not come as a total surprise as Ware impressed during his rookie season as he was eventually moved into the starting lineup next to Bam Adebayo.

While Miami may not want to include Ware in a trade for Durant, it is likely that the Suns will want him as part of the trade package, though the Heat could still put together a solid trade package without him.

Miami could offer Phoenix Andrew Wiggins, Duncan Robinson, Nikola Jovic and Jaime Jaquez Jr. along with draft capital in a package, though the Suns would likely want Ware, especially with their struggles at center last season.

Either way, the Heat will have some tough competition in the Durant sweepstakes and if they are unwilling to include Ware in a potential trade, they may lose out on adding another star.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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