Kevin Durant is the hot topic in the NBA as teams from both the East and West coast are pursuing him.
Recent reports had involved teams from the Pacific like the Los Angeles Lakers and even the Golden State Warriors aspiring to acquire the former Most Valuable Player.
One team is undaunted by the rumors even if the ante of the competition has risen. The Miami Heat will continue to pursue Kevin Durant even if their situation is more complicated than most other teams. The declaration came from Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
"One thing is clear: The Heat intend to make a long-shot bid to lure Durant, who sold his Miami condo earlier this year," Jackson said. "For Miami to be able to make a competitive bid for Durant, the Heat would need to either pass on signing Whiteside; or trade McRoberts, somehow get Whiteside at something closer to $10 million for 2016-17 (that's not happening), cajole Wade to take less than $10 million and fill out the roster with cheap labor."
The explanation is complicated, and it does not simplify even if they go all in as Jackson further explains.
"Even if Wade left, Miami likely couldn't afford Durant if Whiteside commanded a starting salary at close to the max," Jackson said. "The Heat could (wink-wink) promise Wade that it would take care of him with a bigger salary in 2017-18 (when the cap is projected to rise to $108 million) and in 2018-19 ($127 million projection)."
There are some challenges to those scenarios, but as Heat Nation asserts, the team has Pat Riley, and they remind us that if someone can pull off the improbable, it would be him.
"It would be pretty complicated just for the Heat to have a legit shot at signing Durant, but don't think it's impossible for one second considering Pat Riley calls the shots in Miami," according to the article. "Remember, this guy tried to lure LaMarcus Aldridge to Miami with the mid-level exception after signing Wade and Dragic to big deals in the first few days of free agency this past summer."
