SUMMARY
- Kevin Durant and the Suns were swept by the Timberwolves in the first round.
- Durant hasn't been satisfied with his role on the team and the Heat have emerged as potential trade suitors.
It was a tragic end to Kevin Durant’s first full season with the Phoenix Suns. Last year, the Suns acquired KD and he only made his debut after the All-Star break. They reached the Western Conference Semifinals but failed to get past the Denver Nuggets. The 14x All-Star just went through his healthiest season since leaving the Golden State Warriors in 2019 with an Achilles injury. He starred in 75 games while his teammates faced multiple injuries.
The 2nd Round of the Playoffs featured Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, or LeBron James the last 19 years.
This year, no one made it out the 1st.
End of an era? 😥 pic.twitter.com/jsl8w82bnd
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 30, 2024
The Minnesota Timberwolves were quite physical against the Suns in the first round. After putting up 27.1 points per game in the regular season, the Wolves limited him to only 24 points through the first three games. He finished the series averaging 26.8 points per game while nobody else on the roster besides Devin Booker put up over 20 points. Now, the Suns are in danger of possibly losing him, Booker, and Frank Vogel, who had an underwhelming first stint. Rumors about the Miami Heat possibly acquiring KD have surfaced.
The Heat’s Erik Spoelstra wanted Kevin Durant in 2016
After ending his run in Oklahoma, Kevin Durant entered free agency in 2016. Multiple teams were after the prolific scorer and the Miami Heat was one of them. At that point, the Heat were without LeBron James for two seasons. They won back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013. Erik Spoelstra, widely considered as one of the greatest coaches ever, wanted to make changes quickly. Erik had his eyes set on Durant during the 2016 off-season.
I asked Kevin Durant about his level of motivation coming off a sweep at this point in his career.
“I live and breathe this shit, bro. At this point in my life, I got a lot of shit going on outside of basketball, but what I’m mainly focused on is ball, bro.” (1/2) pic.twitter.com/e07QT1Ju0Y
— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) April 29, 2024
According to Heat Nation, Spoelstra told Durant that he could help the 2x NBA Champion improve his efficiency just like he did with James. At the time, the Heat lost Dwyane Wade and desperately needed a star on the roster. However, Durant chose to join the Warriors and it resulted in immediate success. He won his first two titles and made three straight finals appearances.
Kevin Durant and the Miami Heat would make a championship-worthy team
The Heat have been quite successful in recent times, despite their regular season struggles. Spoelstra led his team to two conference champions and they nearly beat the LA Lakers for the title in 2020 with Jimmy Butler. Based on their recent struggles with injuries and offense, league sources claim that the Heat could be a suitor for Kevin Durant in a trade.
Miami has been a Play-In Tournament team for the last two seasons, while somehow getting themselves to the finals last year. Defensively, they have everything it takes to be atop the league. However, they do not have potential in the scoring aspect of the game which Durant can provide. This concoction can easily become title favorites and the Heat also heavily rely on teamwork to bring their best on the floor.