Why The Miami Heat Do The Deal
Kevin Durant and Jimmy Butler might be the best duo in the NBA in 2021-22. That feels like as sensible a place to start as any.
After all, any team acquiring Durant needs enough left over to contend – otherwise, what’s the point of acquiring him? With that said, the Heat are parting with an awful lot between Adebayo and Herro.
It’s worth it. The Heat would still have quality role players following this exchange. Max Strus and Gabe Vincent both had breakout years in 2022-23. Victor Oladipo used to be a star – a bounceback season from him would be huge for Miami.
Caleb Martin and Dewayne Dedmon are both valuable rotation players either. Perhaps those names don’t inspire you, but knowing they’ll be supporting Kevin Durant and Jimmy Butler ought to.
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Plus, Durant is likely to age gracefully. Assuming he and Butler can both do so, this leaves the Heat with a two-year window. If they’re too shallow to go all the way in 2022-23 following this deal, they shouldn’t have any trouble bolstering their roster with ring-chasing free agents ahead of 2023-24.