The transfer that never happened: The offer made by Miami to sign Durant is revealed

The future of Kevin Durant in the NBA, whatever may come, revolves around competing for the ring with the Houston Rockets. On June 22nd, the Phoenix Suns' star was traded to the Texas franchise. There, he will lead in the 2024/25 season alongside Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson, among others. However, all of that could have changed if Phoenix had accepted the offer made by Miami Heat.

It has recently been revealed that the Heat were close to finalizing the arrival of Kevin Durant in the NBA. Also in June, the Florida team proposed a final offer to the Suns, as indicated by Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, from the NBA Rumors.

According to sources with direct knowledge of the negotiations, the Florida franchise put an ambitious package on the table:

• Andrew Wiggins, Terry Rozier, Haywood Highsmith, Jaime Jáquez Jr., and the 20th pick of the 2025 Draft. In exchange, the Heat sought to acquire Kevin Durant and Cody Martin.

However, according to Shams Charania, the Suns had other priorities. Phoenix insisted on including Nikola Jović, Jáquez, Highsmith, the 20th pick, and also a pick exchange, not ruling out adding Wiggins or Rozier to the deal.

It was then when positions diverged, forcing the Heat to halt a bet that internally left a bittersweet taste: parting with Durant is never easy, but the organization also understood that letting go of two young players like Jović and rookie Kasparas Jakucionis (15th pick in the last draft) could mortgage the future too much.

While Miami deliberated, the outcome came on June 22nd when the Suns surprised by closing a deal with Houston. The Texan franchise offered a substantial package: Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the 10th pick of the 2025 Draft, and five future second-round picks. With that, Phoenix chose to start a rebuilding process centered around Devin Booker, adding Green as the star project and accumulating draft capital to maneuver in the coming years.

For the Rockets, however, the equation was clear: Durant represents the piece they needed to accelerate their transition from a promising team to a real contender. The veteran forward joins Alperen Şengün and Amen Thompson to form a new "Big Three" in Houston in a Western Conference that becomes wilder every year. After several seasons waiting for Jalen Green's definitive breakthrough—which never came, especially in the playoffs—the management decided to make a statement move and bet on a historic scorer who still maintains relevance.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, El traspaso que no fue: Se desvela la oferta que hizo Miami para fichar a Durant