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Heat Refusing to Include Key Young Player in Kevin Durant Trade Talks

With just five days left before the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft, 11-time All-NBA superstar power forward Kevin Durant remains on the Phoenix Suns.

Although he appears to be eyeing a possible return to Texas, with both the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets seemingly in contention for his services if the price is right, the 6-foot-11 vet is apparently being considered by some Eastern Conference squads too, including the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat.

Why Toronto, which has made the playoffs exactly once in the last five years, would want to acquire a 36-year-old win-now player like Durant without much of a championship-ready roster in place even without him, is anyone's guess.

Bringing in an elite scorer at his level would improve the club's floor, but it seems unlikely the Raptors can compete for a title without making several other moves to upgrade their roster.

Sources inform Jake Fischer of The People's Insider (via Substack) that the Heat have a bit of a wedge issue in their negotiations: they don't want to include 2024 first round pick Kel'el Ware in any deal for Durant.

Conversely, Fischer adds that Toronto is refusing to part ways with veteran center Jakob Poeltl.

Ware transitioned into a starting role with Miami halfway into his rookie 2024-25 season. The 7-footer out of Indiana averaged 9.3 points on 55.4 percent shooting from the floor and 68.7 percent shooting from the charity stripe, 7.4 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 0.9 assists in his 64 healthy regular season contests (36 starts).

Given that a young, starting-caliber, rim-rolling center still on a rookie-scale deal would mesh perfectly in a frontcourt next to Durant, Miami's interest in holding onto Ware makes some sense.

Then again, All-Star big man Bam Adebayo — who was shifted to a power forward role following the emergence of Ware as a viable starter — has actually started most of his career at the five spot. Does this mean Adebayo might be more available in a deal than Ware?

Probably not. And maybe this is all just a negotiating tactic on the Heat's end, as they look to lose as little as possible in a deal for the two-time Finals MVP.

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