Details of Failed Kevin Durant to Heat Trade Surface on Friday

Details of Failed Kevin Durant to Heat Trade Surface on Friday originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

Before the Phoenix Suns traded Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets, the former MVP had multiple suitors. ESPN's Shams Charania reported on June 14 that Durant's preferred destinations were the Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, and Miami Heat.

Durant got his wish by going to the Rockets, forcing the Heat to seek help elsewhere. Even though they missed out on Durant, Miami has still stayed busy this offseason. They acquired Norman Powell for Kyle Anderson and Kevin Love while re-signing Davion Mitchell.

They made their most recent move on Friday by trading Haywood Highsmith, who they sent to the Brooklyn Nets in a salary dump. Doing so helped them save money.

Following the Highsmith trade, The Miami Herald's Barry Jackson revealed what Miami was willing to offer for Durant. Not only was Highsmith included, but the Heat wanted to add more than just Durant in a trade.

"Per source with direct knowledge, Heat was willing to offer Wiggins, Rozier, Highsmith, Jaquez and 20th pick in June's draft for Durant & Cody Martin," Jackson wrote. "Per Shams, Suns wanted Jaquez, Jović, Highsmith, 20th pick and a pick swap (as well as Wiggins/Rozier inclusion)."

Jackson also added that two players on the Heat's roster will have to prove themselves to justify not agreeing to the Suns' terms.

"SO…Jovic and Kasparas (Jakucionis) need to work out (to) justify the decision, which was a difficult one for Heat to reach," Jackson wrote.

Per source with direct knowledge, Heat was willing to offer Wiggins, Rozier, Highsmith, Jaquez and 20th pick in June's draft for Durant & Cody Martin. Per Shams, Suns wanted Jaquez, Jović, Highsmith, 20th pick and a pick swap (as well as Wiggins/Rozier inclusion). SO...Jovic and…

— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) August 15, 2025

It's Been a While Since the Heat Acquired an Elite Player

The Heat have acquired big-name stars in the past, whether via trade or free agency. That list includes LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal, Jimmy Butler, Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway, and Chris Bosh, among others.

However, the last time they acquired a big name was Butler when they orchestrated a sign-and-trade for him in 2019. Since then, the Heat have added other players who were big names, like Kyle Lowry, but he was 35 years old by the time he signed there in 2021.

In that same timeframe, Miami had two players who appeared in the All-Star game: Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. However, they have not seen the same amount of playoff success in the last two years that they did when Butler was active for them in the playoffs from 2020 to 2023.

The Heat are coming off two consecutive playoff sweeps after having made three of four Eastern Conference Finals and two NBA Finals appearances in that aforementioned timespan with Butler. Getting Durant could have vaulted them back into contention, but Miami didn't budge on their offer, so now they have to look somewhere else to get another star.

Related: Heat Pull off Crucial Trade on Friday

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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 15, 2025, where it first appeared.