NBA Trade Rumors: Anonymous scout claims Miami Heat would be open to including 3x All-Defensive selection in trade talks for Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant's trade request has set the NBA world ablaze. A number of teams are interested in signing Durant, with the Miami Heat possibly leading the race.
According to an anonymous NBA scout, the Florida-based organization might be willing to include three-time All-Defensive selection, Bam Adebayo, in trade talks for Kevin Durant.
The scout stated:
“If you’re the Heat, you make that trade, even if you need to include [Ben] Simmons,” the scout told Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “If you have an opportunity to get a player like Kevin Durant, you do it.
"From my relationship with Pat Riley, I believe the Heat would make that trade [including Adebayo] if given the option. I’m not sure that would be enough for Brooklyn.”
A pairing of six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler and Kevin Durant in Miami will be a terrifying proposition for defenses across the league. Jimmy Butler is among the best players in the NBA and has the ability to raise his game in crunch time.
However, the Brooklyn Nets' trade talks with the Minnesota Timberwolves proved that the New York-based franchise would not be willing to part ways with Durant for cheap. The Heat will likely have to part with a majority of their starters in order to land the two-time champion.
Kevin Durant's legacy in the NBA
Kevin Durant is among the greatest scorers the game has ever seen, but he has not received due credit for his achievements.
Durant's two rings came with the all-conquering Golden State Warriors and he was criticized for joining a team filled with superstars. Questions were also asked of his ability to lead a team on his own.
He moved to Brooklyn in 2019, possibly to put an end to that line of thought. He has so far failed to deliver a title to the Nets, thereby failing to erase the stain on his legacy.