Miami Heat Predicted To Land Two-Time Finals MVP

This verdict was reached after examining all the reasons why the other teams reportedly interested shouldn't or won't go after him this summer.

"The Rockets and Spurs have the assets to go after Durant, but both should be prioritizing younger stars to grow with their cores. Durant will turn 37 in September. New York is low on draft picks after the Mikal Bridges deal and shouldn't be in a hurry to shake up what's become a strong starting five led by Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. That leaves the Timberwolves and Heat as the most likely destinations, although one should be far more desperate than the other," Swartz said. "With Minnesota still alive in the playoffs and Miami swept out in the first round, the Heat should already be placing calls to new Suns general manager Brian Gregory about acquiring Durant."

While the Heat were eliminated in in the first round of the playoffs, the Phoenix Suns didn't make the Play-In Tournament. The Heat finished with just one more win than the Suns.

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Alexander Toledo is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI and producer/co-host of the Five on the Floor podcast, covering the Heat and NBA. He can be reached at toledoalexander22@gmail.com. Twitter: @tropicalblanket

Ex-Rival Claims Miami Heat Culture Is "Dead" These Days

After trading away their franchise player, the Miami Heat were run out of the building in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.

Since the trade deadline and then again after being eliminated, many have questioned the ability of Heat team president Pat Riley.

Appearing on their podcast, 'Ticket & The Truth', Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett gave some bold takes on where the Heat's way of doing things stands and where the front office should go from here.

"You know, Bam looked like, and I was watching Bam, he even said it like, 'It's gonna be some changes from the guy with the white hair.' It look like Heat Culture is dead," Pierce said. "And you gotta push the reset button on that and change the rules, you know, get the bylaws and get the new update."

"If you want people to come to Miami, if you want to turn it back around you gotta update the culture. Because that culture right now is running people away," Pierce said. "What star gonna wanna come there after you see what happened to Jimmy Butler? You know what I'm saying? And then look, you see him thriving in Golden State. He could've been down there, pushing them against the Cavs. Why would you do that? He deserved to kind of play out down there, actually. He still had a lot left in the tank, as we watching right now."

The Heat lost by a combined 122 points in the first round to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Butler continues to play well with the Warriors, who are up 1-0 against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the conference semifinals. Garnett explained what he'd like to see the Heat do.

"I would like to see Pat Riley go to the side and anoint Erik Spoelstra. It's a continuation of the DNA. You keep the vibrant-ness and you continue there with Zo and Haslem and all those ex-players right there, you still got Heat culture." Garnett said. "You got a beautiful city that you can attract a lot of free agents to come and play," Garnett said. "It's just about the culture in which you're creating there and then like P said, the habits that you've shown as a front office, that has to be updated."