Kevin Durant only wants to play if the Heat have Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry on the team.

Jesse D. Carabrand

as Brooklyn Nets Trying to trade Kevin Durant for something like fair value, they not only have to contend with the teams they’re negotiating with, but Durant himself. He has provided two teams, The Miami Heat And Phoenix Suns, as preferred locations. Here’s where things get complicated: Durant reportedly only wants the Heat to go if most of their team is intact.

According to Athletic, Durant would only want to play for the Heat if he could play alongside Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry. Considering what little assets Miami has to offer Brooklyn aside from those three, a Heat trade is somewhat unlikely right now.

We can safely say that the butler is never at the table. Lowry is only valuable to a competitor. If Adebayo is also unavailable, what can Miami offer? The package will be built around Tyler Hero and Duncan Robinson as salary ballast. The Heat could also offer Nikola Jovic, the No. 27 pick, as well as three future first-rounders and three first-round pick swaps. That’s a big offer for almost anyone, but it probably won’t be enough to land Durant.

Here’s another problem: Even if the Heat and Durant are open to a deal involving Adebayo, they legally can’t trade him to the Nets right now. Teams aren’t allowed to have multiple players on new extensions acquired through trades, and the Nets already have Ben Simmons on such a deal. Overall, this puts the Heat at a significant disadvantage in the Durant sweepstakes.

The Suns will have to give up quite a bit to get Durant, but if they can do so without sacrificing Devin Booker or Chris Paul, they’ll have enough to lure the former MVP. If Durant truly wanted Phoenix above all other places, this kind of leak would make sense. If he can inspire the Heat, one of the primary threats to the Suns will be away from the team. For now, anything definitive would be a fool’s errand.

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