The rumors surrounding Kevin Durant will not stop. The former MVP is preparing for a run in free agency next offseason and the talk will not stop as speculation continues to run wild over what his future will look like. While Durant has maintained his love and dedication to the Oklahoma City Thunder, teams are lining up to be the one to pull him away in 2016. The Miami Heat have their hat in the race, but can they make it work?
According to Zach Lowe at Grantland, the Heat will make a run at Durant in 2016. This has been a rumor since the start of the offseason when the Miami Heat were struggling to get Dwyane Wade under contract. The Heat wanted to sign Wade to a cheaper deal in order to have flexibility to attain Durant. That interest has reportedly not shifted and team president Pat Riley has every intention to chase the former MVP whether the contract is realistic or not.
The issue for the Heat is money. Durant of course will want a max contract. His salary for the 2016-17 season will be around $25 million at the cost. According to Lowe, the Heat could open up at the most $45 million in space for next year by trading Mario Chalmers, Chris Andersen and Josh McRoberts. That means the Heat will have $15 to $20 million to use to re-sign Hassan Whiteside to a big contract while also bringing back Wade. That is going to make things very tough on Miami. If Whiteside has a big year he will demand a lot of money. The Heat would be wise not to expect Wade to take yet another home town discount.
There is also Luol Deng who would likely want to stick around. His contract is set expire. If the Heat can get Durant, Deng is not coming back to South Beach. Wade might not be either. After the standoff between the two sides this offseason, Miami might not be interest in another set of negotiations if it will impact their ability to sign Durant to a contract.
The Heat will be an interesting team to watch. Justise Winslow could develop into a star and take the place of Deng. The health of Wade will play a huge factor into the type of deal he acquires next year. The Heat might want to think they stand a chance at getting Durant over other teams like the New York Knicks or Washington Wizards, but they might not have the money to do so.
