{"id":76920,"date":"2024-05-10T13:28:12","date_gmt":"2024-05-10T17:28:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=76920"},"modified":"2024-05-10T13:28:12","modified_gmt":"2024-05-10T17:28:12","slug":"former-mvp-would-have-no-problem-playing-for-the-heat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/05\/10\/former-mvp-would-have-no-problem-playing-for-the-heat\/","title":{"rendered":"Former MVP Would Have \u2018No Problem\u2019 Playing for the Heat?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Even before Kevin Durant<\/a> arrived in Arizona, the Phoenix Suns were thinking about championships.<\/p>\n

Led by Chris Paul<\/a> and Devin Booker<\/a>, the Suns made it all the way to the 2021 NBA Finals. Since then, Suns fans have been fixated on the thought of the Larry O\u2019Brien trophy landing in Phoenix. The machinations of zealous team owner Mat Ishbia have only made those dreams more vivid.<\/p>\n

However, just because Phoenix wants it to happen, it doesn\u2019t mean it will. Several All-Stars have played for the Suns. Even Hall of Famers. Yet, none have been able to deliver Phoenix\u2019s first championship. With that history of misfortune, it only makes sense that the Suns have assembled perhaps the most talented core in franchise history and it feels like they\u2019re on the verge of collapse.<\/p>\n

Kevin Durant Would Have \u2018No Problem\u2019 Playing for Heat?<\/h2>\n

After being bounced from the First Round of the NBA Playoffs, word spread that Frank Vogel\u2019s days as head coach were numbered. The locker room found him insincere. Durant found himself uncomfortable on the court<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This week, those rumors became reality as Phoenix fired Vogel. They\u2019ve quickly made a move<\/a> on Mike Budenholzer as his replacement. Nonetheless, with so much drama in the Valley of the Sun, it\u2019s worth wondering how long this iteration of the Suns will stay together.<\/p>\n

Bradley Beal<\/a> is an awkward fit alongside Booker in the backcourt. Though he refutes the rumors, Booker is being linked to the New York Knicks among other teams<\/a>. Furthermore, for all his stardom, there\u2019s a section of basketball analysts that question his impact on winning outside of scoring. Lastly, Durant\u2019s contract expires in 2026. Now on his fourth team, he\u2019s shown that he\u2019s unwilling to stay in situations that don\u2019t suit him.<\/p>\n

With regard to Durant, there are now also rumors linking him to the Miami Heat.<\/p>\n

Chad Ochocinco Johnson, a former star wide receiver in the NFL, recently sat down with Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe. Sharpe has amassed great fame as a media personality, working with CBS Sports, Fox Sports, and ESPN. He now has his own podcast, Club Shay Shay<\/em>, and one with Johnson called Nightcap<\/em>.<\/p>\n

On the Nightcap podcast, Johnson claims that Durant wants “to go to<\/a>” the Heat, saying that he\u00a0“talked to him” about the very topic (h\/t Arizona Republic\u2019s Jeremy Cluff):<\/p>\n

“I talked to KD and I know KD is going to see this and KD can attest to this. You can talk about it tomorrow on First Take. KD and I had a lengthy conversation. Listen, I’m not into basketball and people like KD and LeBron and some of these other players that I know, they confide in me. And I asked if it was OK to talk about tonight on Nightcap and it just so happens, boom, it comes up.<\/p>\n

And he said he would have no problem coming down to Miami, if it made sense.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It\u2019s Not Impossible<\/h3>\n

Durant playing for Heat isn\u2019t far-fetched.<\/p>\n

For one, Miami is the type of market that attracts stars. Why not? The weather is beautiful. The nightlife is electric. The scenery is *chef\u2019s kiss<\/em>*. Phoenix is a great city but it\u2019s not Miami. For a man without a wife or kids, that could matter when comparing lifestyle choices.<\/p>\n

Focusing on just the basketball side of the equation, the Heat have proven that they can build a championship-contender. Indeed, they have more championships (3) than the Suns and Brooklyn Nets combined (2). Led by a no-nonsense front office and coaching staff, Miami\u2019s discipline has been the secret ingredient to their success. However, the Heat also know how to push the right buttons, unlocking their player\u2019s potential.<\/p>\n

Miami may be as formidable as Phoenix offensively, even with Durant. Yet, they\u2019re more balanced. They\u2019re tougher. With Durant in the fold, they very well could have enough firepower to win their first championship since \u00a02013.<\/p>\n

What Would a Trade Look Like?<\/h3>\n

If Durant requested a trade (or forced one), the Suns could send him to the Heat in exchange for Terry Rozier<\/a> and Tyler Herro<\/a>. Short of giving up Jimmy Butler<\/a>, it\u2019s probably Miami\u2019s best option. However, with Heat owner Pat Riley and Butler\u2019s agent at odds with one another<\/a>, Miami could be happy to send him over. If that\u2019s the case, the Suns should seriously consider the deal.<\/p>\n

Butler isn\u2019t nearly the offensive threat that Durant is. Nonetheless, his point-forward abilities and defensive tenacity are better fit alongside Beal and Booker. Butler\u2019s durability will be a key variable in whether or not he reaches an extension with Phoenix. However, if he doesn\u2019t, they wouldn\u2019t be in any worse position than if Durant left.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Even before Kevin Durant arrived in Arizona, the Phoenix Suns were thinking about championships. Led by Chris Paul and Devin Booker, the Suns made it all the way to the 2021 NBA Finals. Since then, Suns fans have been fixated on the thought of the Larry O\u2019Brien trophy landing in Phoenix. The machinations of zealous […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5008,"featured_media":76926,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16,1608,62,28,4721],"tags":[69,4774],"class_list":["post-76920","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-heat","category-basketball","category-nba","category-suns","category-trade-rumors","tag-kevin-durant","tag-rumors"],"modified_by":"Quenton S Albertie","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76920","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5008"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76920"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76920\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76926"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}