Durant And Nets Draw Lines In Sand And So Must Pat Riley

The Miami Heat may be seeing the NBA trade market temperature raise again! After what seems like an entire summer chasing a star, only to come up short, traction on the Kevin Durant front may actually exist again.

After a meeting between Durant and Brooklyn Nets owner, Joe Tsai, had been reported for the last few days, details of said meeting emerged on Monday. Basically, the NBA superstar reiterated his stance on the trade.

He also said that it’s either him or, both, head coach and general manager, Steve Nash and Sean Marks. Yea, so basically, he wants out of Brooklyn or wants Brooklyn to be out on the current leadership.

Here is a little bit more of what The Athletic’s Shams Charania had to say on the latest occurrences.

After Durant’s trade request on June 30, the Nets engaged in conversations with almost every team in the league, according to sources. But because the Nets have set a sky-high threshold for the return the franchise wants for Durant — a two-time NBA champion, two-time Finals MVP, a former league MVP and 12-time All-Star — teams have not yet been able to meet the asking price.

The Miami Heat must match the energy of Brooklyn and Kevin Durant. They’ve drawn their lines in the sand on their needs and wants, but so must Miami.

The Celtics, Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat remain the most significant candidates to acquire Durant, sources said, with Boston’s package centering around All-Star forward Jaylen Brown seen as a viable deal. Tsai and the Nets have made clear privately that they will take every last asset from a team that trades for Durant, sources said.

The Miami Heat are still in the running, as indicated by the current reporting but that’s also where the problem lies. With the report indicating that they are seeking every last asset from a team, that will be an issue for Miami.

You can’t possibly give up everything it might take to land Durant if the Nets are, indeed, looking for everything and for the record, they should be for a talent of his magnitude. Most notably, if the Nets are still only considering a Miami Heat deal that includes Bam Adebayo, Pat Riley and the rest of the brain trust should be comfortable walking away.

Effectively, this is what the read on it all has to be. Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets have drawn their lines in the sand—and so must the Miami Heat when it comes to what they are willing to part ways with to get him.