2025 Regular/Offseason Season Thread Vol. 10

[greg4012]

I'm OK with trading for KD for the right price. I think it would be a REALLY complementary fit and make for some much improved basketball. Miami would be right back in the mix IMO.

With that said, I have zero issues with foregoing the KD pursuit also. I'm just not gonna make up lies and scour my brain for half truths to look for reasons why it would be disastrous (bc I don't think it would be).

[oreon]

To sum up my KD thoughts :


1) He's way too old
2) He'll cost way too much to trade for
3) He'll cost way too much in future cap space
4) The team around him won't be good enough to really contend anyway
5) He's never happy anywhere, been failing for years, never was a dog type leader.
6) Makes no sense to lose Jimmy due to age and extentension and then bring in an older player.
7) He's not exactly the type of creator for others this roster really needs, he's a scorer more then an engine like Trea Young or Haliburton.
8) He left the team that drafted him which was a great team to join the team that beat them. Biggest bitch move in free agency history.
9) Long history of serious injuries, and now he's 37YO.
10) F@ck this chit.

And since GSW exit he really hasn't had much post seasons success
24-25 - Didn't even make play in
23-24- Suns 1st round exit
22-23 - Suns 2nd round exit - Booker was best player for Suns in the playoffs that season
21-22 - Nets 1st round exit
20-21 - Nets 2nd round exit. I will give him this one. He had a great playoffs Bucks were just better

The evidence isn't there, that he can drag a very poor Heat team to anything past the 2nd round

[Kobewade11]

I'm OK with trading for KD for the right price. I think it would be a REALLY complementary fit and make for some much improved basketball. Miami would be right back in the mix IMO.

With that said, I have zero issues with foregoing the KD pursuit also. I'm just not gonna make up lies and scour my brain for half truths to look for reasons why it would be disastrous (bc I don't think it would be).

I had to +1 this because its a balanced, objective take.

The biggest limitation with KD in my eyes is how restricted we'd be cap wise. After bringing back Mitchell there isn't anymore $$ to go around. Maybe there's a relationship between KD and Tyus Jones, also some Duke connections in the FO, maybe he could be had for a minimum deal. Other than that we'd be looking at rounding out the roster with Jae Crowder/Torrey Craig types which I wouldn't be enthused about + hoping Herro takes one more step up and Ware comes of age fast.

[greg4012]

To sum up my KD thoughts :


1) He's way too old
2) He'll cost way too much to trade for
3) He'll cost way too much in future cap space
4) The team around him won't be good enough to really contend anyway
5) He's never happy anywhere, been failing for years, never was a dog type leader.
6) Makes no sense to lose Jimmy due to age and extentension and then bring in an older player.
7) He's not exactly the type of creator for others this roster really needs, he's a scorer more then an engine like Trea Young or Haliburton.
8) He left the team that drafted him which was a great team to join the team that beat them. Biggest bitch move in free agency history.
9) Long history of serious injuries, and now he's 37YO.
10) F@ck this chit.

And since GSW exit he really hasn't had much post seasons success
24-25 - Didn't even make play in
23-24- Suns 1st round exit
22-23 - Suns 2nd round exit - Booker was best player for Suns in the playoffs that season
21-22 - Nets 1st round exit
20-21 - Nets 2nd round exit. I will give him this one. He had a great playoffs Bucks were just better

The evidence isn't there, that he can drag a very poor Heat team to anything past the 2nd round

KD has the 4th highest playoff ppg in NBA history, and he's still putting up playoff stats commensurate with those averages.
Durant's career playoff stats are 29.3 ppg (48% fg, 36% 3pt), 4 assists, 8 rebounds, and 2.2 stocks. KD is the most efficient playoff scorer among those top 4 (IN NBA HISTORY).


KD made it to the conference finals 4 out of his 6 seasons with OKC, including the finals once (the only times OKC has been to either).

KD then went full front runner and joined GS. Lame move. I agree. But, he went on to win 2 straight championships where he was finals MVP for both. They went to a 3rd championship and lost to the GOAT after KD tore his achilles. Seemed he was kinda important to their success huh?

For those keeping track, that's 3 more conference finals appearances and 3 more finals appearances for KD. Now up to 7 conference finals through 9 seasons and 4 finals appearances through 9 seasons in the NBA.

KD then signed with Brooklyn. In season 1, they lost in round 2 to the eventual champions--Milwaukee Bucks. As many may recall, Brooklyn was a KD toe away from knocking out MIL in round 2 and likely proceeding to win it all. This is the same MIL team that swept Miami in round 1.

Jimmy's stats vs the 2021 Bucks in playoffs (4 games): 14.5 ppg (29.7% FG , 27% 3p%), 7 assists, 7 rebounds, 1.6 stocks
Durant's stats vs the 2021 Bucks in playoffs (7 games): 35.4 ppg (49.7% FG, 35 % 3p%), 5 assists, 10. rebounds, 2.7 stocks

The following season, KD's Nets flopped as drama mounted and Harden forced a trade to Philly mid-season. Nets got Ben Simmons in return who did not play a game for them that season.

KD demanded a trade in 2023 and spent the back half of his season on the Suns. Suns lost to the eventual champs in the Denver Nuggets in 6 games in round 2 of the playoffs. Phoenix was the only team to take that Nuggets squad past 5 games in a playoff series. As you all recall, Miami lost to Denver in 5 games in the finals.

Jimmy's stats vs the 2023 Nuggets in playoffs (5 games): 21.6 ppg (41.3% fg, 36.8% 3 pt), 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 1.6 stocks
Durant's stats vs the 2023 Nuggets in playoffs (6 games): 29.5 ppg (45.3% fg, 22.2% 3pt), 5 assists, 10 rebounds, 2.4 stocks

That brings us to last season, where a poorly built Phoenix squad lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in round 1 of the playoffs in 4 games. In that series Durant averaged 27 ppg (55% FG, 42% 3pt), 3 assists, 7 rebounds, and 2 stocks. Phoenix's frontcourt got decimated by Minnesota's size as no one on PHX did anything aside from Durant and Booker.

In summary, Durant has made it to the playoffs 13 of his 16 active seasons in the NBA. Has made it past the first round 10 out of the 13 times he's been in the playoffs. Has made it to the conference finals 7 out of his 13 times in the playoffs (54% of the time), has made it to the finals 4 out of his 13 times in the playoffs (31% of the time), and has won 2 championships.

Durant's career playoff stats are 29.3 ppg (48% fg, 36% 3pt), 4 assists, 8 rebounds, and 2.2 stocks. And he's put up numbers as good or better than his career averages in each of the 4 playoff appearances he's had since leaving GS (including the last 2 seasons). KD has the 4th highest playoff ppg in NBA history, and he's still putting up playoff stats commensurate with those averages.

It remains a false equivalency to compare Kevin Durant and Jimmy as equal pieces to work with this Miami core.

Yes, I'm concerned about any aging superstar and durability. But, Kevin Durant is the exact archetype of the exception to concerns about age. Jimmy is not.

It's still a team game.

[3ammy3uck3ts]

I'm OK with trading for KD for the right price. I think it would be a REALLY complementary fit and make for some much improved basketball. Miami would be right back in the mix IMO.

With that said, I have zero issues with foregoing the KD pursuit also. I'm just not gonna make up lies and scour my brain for half truths to look for reasons why it would be disastrous (bc I don't think it would be).

Same. KD, Ja, Trae, Zion, Giannis, AD?, Harden, give me any of them and I’ll be happy. They all fill major needs in their own way.

Want to wait for Luka in summer 2026? Sure I’m fine with that, bring in Dragic this summer (apparently they are) and if Luka doesn’t extend and takes free agency meetings have him feeling like he’s at home when he comes and let’s sign him while keep all our assets and unload the clip after if necessary. Want to wait on a dream scenario where Ant requests out? Works for me.

Just have a legit plan and know your back up options is all I want. If there’s no plan then yea, maybe we do need to look at shipping out Bam and Tyler so we can stockpile assets and pray we hit big in the draft.

[VaDe255]

Spoiler:

I know it’s not the popular opinion, but if you strip away the names and just look at the numbers and roles, it becomes pretty obvious: at this point in their careers, Herro is a more effective offensive engine than Durant.



Impact Metrics Don't Lie
O-LEBRON: Herro +1.93 | Durant +1.7
OEPM: Herro +3.7 | Durant +3.0

Let’s start with the general impact stats LEBRON and EPM, ones used by actual FOs to evaluate players.
Herro comes out ahead across the board offensively. Even defensively, Durant’s slight edge doesn’t shift the balance.
Also Herro is trending upward, while Durant, though still effective, is declining year over year.

Playmaking: Role Context Matters
Assists Herro 5.5 | Durant 4.2
Assist %: Herro 26.2% | Durant 19.6%
Ast/TO Ratio: Herro 2.12 | Durant 1.35

Both players had ~28% usage this season.
Durant played next to Booker, who handled primary creation duties. His high assisted FG rates reflect that: 88.8% of his 3s and 43.3% of his 2s were assisted. Whereas Herro was the initiator, creating shots for himself and others in a tighter offensive system.
That context matters. Herro had more on ball responsibility and still posted excellent playmaking efficiency.

Scoring Profile & Rim Pressure
TS%: Durant 64.2% | Herro 60.5%
Rim Rate: Durant 12.99% | Herro 19.67%
Rim FG%: Durant 73.3% | Herro 62.0%
FT Rate: Durant 5.7 FTs | Herro 4.2 FTs

Durant remains an elite shooter and finisher, no one’s denying that. But the trends tell a deeper story. He’s rarely getting to the rim anymore (just 13% of shots), and though his finishing is still elite, the declining rim pressure signals reduced burst and physicality.
Herro, meanwhile, has increased his rim attempts and maintained strong efficiency for a guard. His FT rate significantly increased this year but is still lower than Durant's. Drawing fouls and generating free points is a key part of Durant’s efficiency advantage.

Final Takeaway
Durant is still a valuable scorer, but his role is increasingly that of a finisher not a creator. Herro is carrying more of the offensive burden, creating more for teammates, and evolving especially in areas that typically signal growth (rim rate, shot profile and playmaking).

This isn't about legacy or resume. If you're building for next season and evaluating current impact, not reputation, Herro is the more viable offensive engine.

There’s no reason for Miami to chase aging names at a premium cost. If the team isn’t moving Bam or Herro (to be clear I think they should), the focus should be on rounding out the roster, improving depth and fit, and betting on continuity. A healthy version of this team that doesn’t have to deal with major drama or blow historic leads could flip the narrative.

Also, I really disagree with the idea that Herro should be moved into more of an off ball role. Coming into the season, he was preparing to play alongside Jimmy as more of an off ball weapon. But after Jimmy requested a trade and missed extended time and Terry turned out to be useless, Herro ended up shouldering that responsibility. Not by design, but by necessity.

He showed clear growth as a lead guard, better playmaking, improved ball handling and more rim pressure than we’ve seen in prior years. If you’re paying someone $30M+ to be a liability/neutral on one end, they need to be the primary engine on the other, not a specialist who still requires elite creation and elite defense around him just to be viable.

That’s why I don’t think the answer is to scale Herro back into a secondary role. The better move is to give him a full season as the clear offensive leader with better fitting players, evaluate how far he can take it and then make a long term decision. There’s no need to rush an extension right now, take the year, let him grow into the role fully, and reassess from a position of clarity.

Herro has earned that opportunity with the leap he made this year.

Simple explanation: Durant has played with offensive redundancies in Phoenix (Booker and Beal) rather than complements. Herro is literally the only perimeter offensive creator on the Miami Heat roster.

Pretty clear to see and understand the bball dynamics at play.

I’d argue it’s not just about offensive redundancies. Durant has clearly declined since his Achilles tear in 2019. He’s lost a step in explosiveness, and the numbers reflect it. His rim rate has steadily dropped and is now at a career low, with no real recovery across multiple seasons or systems.

He’s still an elite shooter and scorer, but the physical decline is real and so is the injury risk. Committing significant assets and a large extension to Durant is a high risk move with limited upside.
And even with Durant, Herro would still be the team’s primary offensive initiator. Durant’s role at this point is more off ball and iso focused, he’s not a full time creator (never really was through his career).

Sure, he’d make Miami better in the short term. But it wouldn’t elevate them to true contender status and it would only make it harder to pivot later.

The better approach is to keep developing Tyler and Bam in meaningful roles while maintaining flexibility. That way, if a real star becomes available, one who actually moves the needle, you’re in a position to make that move, even if it means trading one of them. Jumping on Durant now doesn’t build a contender or a future. It just blocks both and only creates a tiny window with a punchers chance to succeed.

[3ammy3uck3ts]

To sum up my KD thoughts :


1) He's way too old
2) He'll cost way too much to trade for
3) He'll cost way too much in future cap space
4) The team around him won't be good enough to really contend anyway
5) He's never happy anywhere, been failing for years, never was a dog type leader.
6) Makes no sense to lose Jimmy due to age and extentension and then bring in an older player.
7) He's not exactly the type of creator for others this roster really needs, he's a scorer more then an engine like Trea Young or Haliburton.
8) He left the team that drafted him which was a great team to join the team that beat them. Biggest bitch move in free agency history.
9) Long history of serious injuries, and now he's 37YO.
10) F@ck this chit.

And since GSW exit he really hasn't had much post seasons success
24-25 - Didn't even make play in
23-24- Suns 1st round exit
22-23 - Suns 2nd round exit - Booker was best player for Suns in the playoffs that season
21-22 - Nets 1st round exit
20-21 - Nets 2nd round exit. I will give him this one. He had a great playoffs Bucks were just better

The evidence isn't there, that he can drag a very poor Heat team to anything past the 2nd round

Suns post Beal trade have been a disaster but elite when KD has played with Booker and without Beal. His impact has been high too. This season with KD on and Booker/Beal off KD had a +21.53 net rating. If you filter it to show games they didn’t all play in that number is +9.03. That’s elite and pretty similar to last years.

23-24: he averaged 27-7-3 in the postseason on 65TS%, Beal and Booker were bad (Bookers numbers are heavily inflated by game 4).

22-23: Booker was the best player in the playoffs but I’m not sure why that’s a knock on KD when he averaged 29-9-6 on 60TS% (better numbers than any postseason Jimmy had)

21-22: bad year post harden trade for Ben Simmons

20-21: averaged 34-9-4-2-2 on 63TS%, Bucks were good but that’s not why the Nets lost. They lost because Kyrie missed the last 3 games of the series and Harden only played 2 games in the series and he played them injured. Despite that KD still push the championship Bucks to 7 and actually would have won if the very tip of his shoe wasn’t on the 3 point line in what would’ve been a game/series winning 3.

[greg4012]

Spoiler:

I know it’s not the popular opinion, but if you strip away the names and just look at the numbers and roles, it becomes pretty obvious: at this point in their careers, Herro is a more effective offensive engine than Durant.



Impact Metrics Don't Lie
O-LEBRON: Herro +1.93 | Durant +1.7
OEPM: Herro +3.7 | Durant +3.0

Let’s start with the general impact stats LEBRON and EPM, ones used by actual FOs to evaluate players.
Herro comes out ahead across the board offensively. Even defensively, Durant’s slight edge doesn’t shift the balance.
Also Herro is trending upward, while Durant, though still effective, is declining year over year.

Playmaking: Role Context Matters
Assists Herro 5.5 | Durant 4.2
Assist %: Herro 26.2% | Durant 19.6%
Ast/TO Ratio: Herro 2.12 | Durant 1.35

Both players had ~28% usage this season.
Durant played next to Booker, who handled primary creation duties. His high assisted FG rates reflect that: 88.8% of his 3s and 43.3% of his 2s were assisted. Whereas Herro was the initiator, creating shots for himself and others in a tighter offensive system.
That context matters. Herro had more on ball responsibility and still posted excellent playmaking efficiency.

Scoring Profile & Rim Pressure
TS%: Durant 64.2% | Herro 60.5%
Rim Rate: Durant 12.99% | Herro 19.67%
Rim FG%: Durant 73.3% | Herro 62.0%
FT Rate: Durant 5.7 FTs | Herro 4.2 FTs

Durant remains an elite shooter and finisher, no one’s denying that. But the trends tell a deeper story. He’s rarely getting to the rim anymore (just 13% of shots), and though his finishing is still elite, the declining rim pressure signals reduced burst and physicality.
Herro, meanwhile, has increased his rim attempts and maintained strong efficiency for a guard. His FT rate significantly increased this year but is still lower than Durant's. Drawing fouls and generating free points is a key part of Durant’s efficiency advantage.

Final Takeaway
Durant is still a valuable scorer, but his role is increasingly that of a finisher not a creator. Herro is carrying more of the offensive burden, creating more for teammates, and evolving especially in areas that typically signal growth (rim rate, shot profile and playmaking).

This isn't about legacy or resume. If you're building for next season and evaluating current impact, not reputation, Herro is the more viable offensive engine.

There’s no reason for Miami to chase aging names at a premium cost. If the team isn’t moving Bam or Herro (to be clear I think they should), the focus should be on rounding out the roster, improving depth and fit, and betting on continuity. A healthy version of this team that doesn’t have to deal with major drama or blow historic leads could flip the narrative.

Also, I really disagree with the idea that Herro should be moved into more of an off ball role. Coming into the season, he was preparing to play alongside Jimmy as more of an off ball weapon. But after Jimmy requested a trade and missed extended time and Terry turned out to be useless, Herro ended up shouldering that responsibility. Not by design, but by necessity.

He showed clear growth as a lead guard, better playmaking, improved ball handling and more rim pressure than we’ve seen in prior years. If you’re paying someone $30M+ to be a liability/neutral on one end, they need to be the primary engine on the other, not a specialist who still requires elite creation and elite defense around him just to be viable.

That’s why I don’t think the answer is to scale Herro back into a secondary role. The better move is to give him a full season as the clear offensive leader with better fitting players, evaluate how far he can take it and then make a long term decision. There’s no need to rush an extension right now, take the year, let him grow into the role fully, and reassess from a position of clarity.

Herro has earned that opportunity with the leap he made this year.

Simple explanation: Durant has played with offensive redundancies in Phoenix (Booker and Beal) rather than complements. Herro is literally the only perimeter offensive creator on the Miami Heat roster.

Pretty clear to see and understand the bball dynamics at play.

I’d argue it’s not just about offensive redundancies. Durant has clearly declined since his Achilles tear in 2019. He’s lost a step in explosiveness, and the numbers reflect it. His rim rate has steadily dropped and is now at a career low, with no real recovery across multiple seasons or systems.

He’s still an elite shooter and scorer, but the physical decline is real and so is the injury risk. Committing significant assets and a large extension to Durant is a high risk move with limited upside.
And even with Durant, Herro would still be the team’s primary offensive initiator. Durant’s role at this point is more off ball and iso focused, he’s not a full time creator (never really was through his career).

Sure, he’d make Miami better in the short term. But it wouldn’t elevate them to true contender status and it would only make it harder to pivot later.

The better approach is to keep developing Tyler and Bam in meaningful roles while maintaining flexibility. That way, if a real star becomes available, one who actually moves the needle, you’re in a position to make that move, even if it means trading one of them. Jumping on Durant now doesn’t build a contender or a future. It just blocks both and only creates a tiny window with a punchers chance to succeed.

I fully agree that Durant is less of an inside scorer than he used to be. I just don't think the lengths to which you extend that takeaway to apply it to other things makes sense. His rim attempt % is basically flat over the past 5 seasons, while his offensive efficiency and output remains top tier. This is just his game. Not reflecting a steady decline.

I'm also perfectly fine with not pursuing Durant. But, I just think many that don't want to are overreaching like crazy to justify the perspective.

[MettaWorldPanda]

Read on Twitter

Ground work is already layed out. Might just cost us a future 2031 pick and some swaps along with JJJ. I think we got this.

[greg4012]

Additional note: KD was the 7th leading scorer in the NBA this season at 26.6 ppg (within 1 ppg of Ant at 5). KD was the 3rd most efficient scorer of the top 10 with an EFG% of 59.8% (behind only Jokic at 62% and Giannis at 60%). All the rest of the top 10 scorers ranged from 51 to 57% efg.

[3ammy3uck3ts]

Lmao I guess I should’ve read the prior posts before sending my KD breakdown, Greg beat me to it

[3ammy3uck3ts]

Spoiler:

Simple explanation: Durant has played with offensive redundancies in Phoenix (Booker and Beal) rather than complements. Herro is literally the only perimeter offensive creator on the Miami Heat roster.

Pretty clear to see and understand the bball dynamics at play.

I’d argue it’s not just about offensive redundancies. Durant has clearly declined since his Achilles tear in 2019. He’s lost a step in explosiveness, and the numbers reflect it. His rim rate has steadily dropped and is now at a career low, with no real recovery across multiple seasons or systems.

He’s still an elite shooter and scorer, but the physical decline is real and so is the injury risk. Committing significant assets and a large extension to Durant is a high risk move with limited upside.
And even with Durant, Herro would still be the team’s primary offensive initiator. Durant’s role at this point is more off ball and iso focused, he’s not a full time creator (never really was through his career).

Sure, he’d make Miami better in the short term. But it wouldn’t elevate them to true contender status and it would only make it harder to pivot later.

The better approach is to keep developing Tyler and Bam in meaningful roles while maintaining flexibility. That way, if a real star becomes available, one who actually moves the needle, you’re in a position to make that move, even if it means trading one of them. Jumping on Durant now doesn’t build a contender or a future. It just blocks both and only creates a tiny window with a punchers chance to succeed.

I fully agree that Durant is less of an inside scorer than he used to be. I just don't think the lengths to which you extend that takeaway to apply it to other things makes sense. His rim attempt % is basically flat over the past 5 seasons, while his offensive efficiency and output remains top tier. This is just his game. Not reflecting a steady decline.

I'm also perfectly fine with not pursuing Durant. But, I just think many that don't want to are overreaching like crazy to justify the perspective.

Yea I mean I’m not too concerned with his rim rate if he can give us 27-6-4 on 64TS% and hold that level or even better in the playoffs. I’d prefer him to keep it low to keep the injury risk down that comes with attacking the basket (like we saw with Ant last night)

We can have our views on here one way or the other but does anyone genuinely think Pat isn’t going to pursue KD this summer? We all know the guy, I’d be very shocked

[3ammy3uck3ts]

Read on Twitter

Ground work is already layed out. Might just cost us a future 2031 pick and some swaps along with JJJ. I think we got this.

Jimmy extended for 2 and went for the package we saw, add a 1st and Jaime like you said to the Jimmy deal and seems fair to me.

[DayofMourning]

Love the back and forth this offseason. Board leveled up.

[3ammy3uck3ts]

Don’t forget the Riley presser today at 1ET, I think the Heat are streaming it

[greg4012]

I’d argue it’s not just about offensive redundancies. Durant has clearly declined since his Achilles tear in 2019. He’s lost a step in explosiveness, and the numbers reflect it. His rim rate has steadily dropped and is now at a career low, with no real recovery across multiple seasons or systems.

He’s still an elite shooter and scorer, but the physical decline is real and so is the injury risk. Committing significant assets and a large extension to Durant is a high risk move with limited upside.
And even with Durant, Herro would still be the team’s primary offensive initiator. Durant’s role at this point is more off ball and iso focused, he’s not a full time creator (never really was through his career).

Sure, he’d make Miami better in the short term. But it wouldn’t elevate them to true contender status and it would only make it harder to pivot later.

The better approach is to keep developing Tyler and Bam in meaningful roles while maintaining flexibility. That way, if a real star becomes available, one who actually moves the needle, you’re in a position to make that move, even if it means trading one of them. Jumping on Durant now doesn’t build a contender or a future. It just blocks both and only creates a tiny window with a punchers chance to succeed.

I fully agree that Durant is less of an inside scorer than he used to be. I just don't think the lengths to which you extend that takeaway to apply it to other things makes sense. His rim attempt % is basically flat over the past 5 seasons, while his offensive efficiency and output remains top tier. This is just his game. Not reflecting a steady decline.

I'm also perfectly fine with not pursuing Durant. But, I just think many that don't want to are overreaching like crazy to justify the perspective.

Yea I mean I’m not too concerned with his rim rate if he can give us 27-6-4 on 64TS% and hold that level or even better in the playoffs. I’d prefer him to keep it low to keep the injury risk down that comes with attacking the basket (like we saw with Ant last night)

We can have our views on here one way or the other but does anyone genuinely think Pat isn’t going to pursue KD this summer? We all know the guy, I’d be very shocked

While Miami could def benefit from a steadier flow of slashing to collapse the paint and create open looks (Mitchell is best on roster at this, tho not dynamic in playmaking off of it), having a healthy dose of reliable perimeter offense to serve spacing will generally be good for giving Bam and Ware some more space to operate in the paint. Net upgrade in offensive balance in comparison to Jimmy's game which is neither predicated on 3pt shooting (spacing) nor pick n roll (KD and Jimmy are actually similar in rate of pick n roll ballhandler reps and efficiency over the past few seasons).

[DayofMourning]

I'm OK with trading for KD for the right price. I think it would be a REALLY complementary fit and make for some much improved basketball. Miami would be right back in the mix IMO.

With that said, I have zero issues with foregoing the KD pursuit also. I'm just not gonna make up lies and scour my brain for half truths to look for reasons why it would be disastrous (bc I don't think it would be).

Same. KD, Ja, Trae, Zion, Giannis, AD?, Harden, give me any of them and I’ll be happy. They all fill major needs in their own way.

Want to wait for Luka in summer 2026? Sure I’m fine with that, bring in Dragic this summer (apparently they are) and if Luka doesn’t extend and takes free agency meetings have him feeling like he’s at home when he comes and let’s sign him while keep all our assets and unload the clip after if necessary. Want to wait on a dream scenario where Ant requests out? Works for me.

Just have a legit plan and know your back up options is all I want. If there’s no plan then yea, maybe we do need to look at shipping out Bam and Tyler so we can stockpile assets and pray we hit big in the draft.

Luka and Ant seem like logical pursuits.

Id love to see a prime condition Luka on the Heat minus the whining to the refs. Luka is a basketball savant. You can win a chip around a prime version of him.

Id say we could continue to build experience with the guys we have now, level them up and then give them Luka. Bunch of betas begging for an alpha.

Blowing it up and OKCing it is always there in the back of my mind. Lets go for the gamble.

[VaDe255]

Spoiler:

Simple explanation: Durant has played with offensive redundancies in Phoenix (Booker and Beal) rather than complements. Herro is literally the only perimeter offensive creator on the Miami Heat roster.

Pretty clear to see and understand the bball dynamics at play.

I’d argue it’s not just about offensive redundancies. Durant has clearly declined since his Achilles tear in 2019. He’s lost a step in explosiveness, and the numbers reflect it. His rim rate has steadily dropped and is now at a career low, with no real recovery across multiple seasons or systems.

He’s still an elite shooter and scorer, but the physical decline is real and so is the injury risk. Committing significant assets and a large extension to Durant is a high risk move with limited upside.
And even with Durant, Herro would still be the team’s primary offensive initiator. Durant’s role at this point is more off ball and iso focused, he’s not a full time creator (never really was through his career).

Sure, he’d make Miami better in the short term. But it wouldn’t elevate them to true contender status and it would only make it harder to pivot later.

The better approach is to keep developing Tyler and Bam in meaningful roles while maintaining flexibility. That way, if a real star becomes available, one who actually moves the needle, you’re in a position to make that move, even if it means trading one of them. Jumping on Durant now doesn’t build a contender or a future. It just blocks both and only creates a tiny window with a punchers chance to succeed.

I fully agree that Durant is less of an inside scorer than he used to be. I just don't think the lengths to which you extend that takeaway to apply it to other things makes sense. His rim attempt % is basically flat over the past 5 seasons, while his offensive efficiency and output remains top tier. This is just his game. Not reflecting a steady decline.

I'm also perfectly fine with not pursuing Durant. But, I just think many that don't want to are overreaching like crazy to justify the perspective.

I'm not basing it on rim rate alone (it was well 20%+ before the injury).
There is a steady decline in his catch all metrics, winshares, defensive impact and shot creation.

Of course there are different explanations for it (and a different role could see an uptick), but there is also a very simple one, he's getting older.

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Ground work is already layed out. Might just cost us a future 2031 pick and some swaps along with JJJ. I think we got this.

Jimmy extended for 2 and went for the package we saw, add a 1st and Jaime like you said to the Jimmy deal and seems fair to me.

They will flip Wiggins too to a contender.