The Heat Should Not Include This Young Star in a Kevin Durant Trade
The Miami Heat are listed as one of three top trade destinations for Suns forward, and former MVP, Kevin Durant. I wrote my opinion on whether the Heat should complete a trade for Kevin Durant, and my general view was that it would make for a fun team, but losing young players would hurt the team for a short-term Kevin Durant rental. One name that has come up in Durant trade talks is rising star Kel’el Ware. Ware showed a lot of potential in his rookie season, and there’s no doubt that the Suns will want him in return, but should the Heat make that deal?
Ware’s per-game stats may not jump off the board, but it took Ware some time to get adjusted to an NBA system. Ware would often spend time sitting on the bench getting minutes only in garbage time, and he showed promise in those minutes. As the season progressed, Ware showed that he was an elite defensive presence under the rim. His ability to grab boards and his elite pick-and-roll game make him an intriguing young player to watch. Many Heat fans point to the game where Kel’el outplayed Victor Wembanyama in what was one of the team's most impressive individual performances. The team and its fans were extremely excited to see Ware develop amongst its other young stars, and the visual of Ware alongside Durant would be a beautiful sight.
The Heat have to be realistic, and the state of the situation is that Ware would likely be involved in a deal for Durant. It would be a Pat Riley masterclass for them to acquire Durant without having to include Ware in the deal as well, even if that means more first-round picks being sent to Phoenix than anticipated. Phoenix is certainly pushing hard for Kel’el Ware to be their centerpiece of the trade, and that is going to be a tough pill to swallow for the Heat if they make the deal. Durant is a short-term boost to make this team more competitive, but the chances that this is a finals-contending team are very low. If you don’t have full faith that a star player is going to take you to contend for a ring, then I can’t see the point of the investment. Kevin Durant hasn’t played at a finals-contending level in over half a decade and is coming off a season where the Suns didn’t make the playoffs. The Heat would regret this move if they don’t get lucky and draft a new young star to develop during the Durant years, which makes it a bad decision to include Kel'el Ware in any move for Kevin Durant.
