Kevin Durant trade rumors: Heat most determined to acquire star

July 14, 2022 World Sports

It’s been almost two weeks since Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant requested a trade, sending shockwaves around the league and forcing teams to scramble in the wee hours of free agency to see if they had what it takes to put a trade package together. Durant listed the Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat as his preferred destinations, but the Nets haven’t received any trade offers they find worthy of Durant’s stature. But while no adequate trade offers have surfaced, Adrian Wojnarowski reports the Heat have been the most determined team in trying to acquire the former league MVP.

However, it won’t be that easy for the Heat to pull off a trade for Durant. A deal for K.D. would almost certainly have to involve sending star big man Bam Adebayo to the Nets. However, due to the Designated Rookie rule, teams cannot trade for a player on a Designated Rookie deal while already rostering a player they acquired on such contracts. In this case, that would mean Adebayo and Ben Simmons, who Brooklyn acquired in the James Harden trade last season, couldn’t both be rostered by the Nets.