It’s been more than a month since Kevin Durant put the Nets in shambles by submitting a trade request. The Heat have been interested in landing him since then, but no deal has come to fruition yet.
Considering that Brooklyn’s demands could be too high even for a star like KD, Miami was also linked with a move for Jazz star Donovan Mitchell. However, Utah would also expect a hefty return to let him go.
The weeks have passed and it doesn’t seem like the Heat have made progress on any of their priority targets. Therefore, Pat Riley would already have a ‘Plan B’ in case the negotiations for Durant or Mitchell never move forward.
Rumor: Heat would keep tabs on Hornets’ Gordon Hayward
“I think a guy the Heat will keep an eye on is Gordon Hayward,” an NBA executive told Sean Deveney of Heavy.com. “Charlotte’s in a tough position with the (Miles) Bridges thing, they have (Steve) Clifford coming in, they’re in a position to rest things a little bit around LaMelo Ball. Hayward has two years left.”
“If the Heat want to give up [Tyler] Herro before you pay him and you want to move [Duncan] Robinson, you would have to add a pick, but those two guys and Omer [Yurtseven], that might be enough to get Hayward if the Hornets decide to reconfigure.”
Hayward, 32, was posting decent numbers for the Hornets before an ankle injury in February ruled him out for the remainder of the season – but moving Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson to get him would make little sense. That said, Hayward could be a nice fit in the wake of PJ Tucker’s departure.
