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The Miami Heat’s Kevin Durant fallback trade option
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- The Miami Heat’s Kevin Durant fallback trade option
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The post The Miami Heat's Kevin Durant fallback trade option appeared first on ClutchPoints .
One of the biggest stories in the NBA offseason is what will happen with Kevin Durant . The Phoenix Suns have put KD on the trading block because he is the only viable option the team can move to get pieces back and draft pick flexibility. One of the teams running for Durant is the Miami Heat , but they still have options if they don't land Durant.
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Enter DeMar DeRozan .
DeRozan is on the Sacramento Kings after a sign-and-trade with the Chicago Bulls last summer. However, the Kings might want to push the reset button after trading away De'Aaron Fox. Kings Insider James Ham said on his show with Kyle Madson on ESPN 1320, The Insiders , that he's hearing that the Heat see DeRozan as a fallback option if they don't have enough to trade for Durant.
ClutchPoints' own NBA insider, Brett Siegel, reported this in May. Siegel pointed out that the Heat were expected to be buyers this offseason, naming DeRozan as a name to watch for Miami if they were to make a trade for a veteran star. Siegel also implied that any trade the Heat make would involve any combination of Duncan Robinson , Terry Rozier , and Andrew Wiggins .
The Heat and Pat Riley are always looking to make a splash during the summer, dating back to the era of the Big Three, Dwyane Wade , LeBron James , and Chris Bosh . Despite his age, Durant is more in the mold of those three because he can still score on anyone. If DeRozan is the fallback option, he would still be an excellent pickup for the Heat and an upgrade on the wing to pair with Tyler Herro .
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DeRozan is 35 but still remarkably consistent as a scorer. Last season, he averaged 22.2 points per game on 47.7% shooting from the field and 32.8% from behind the arc. He is also a dying breed in the NBA, as he is one of the best mid-range shooters in the entire NBA. Last season, he made 624 mid-range shots , which was good for 12th in the NBA.
The first big domino that needs to fall this offseason is what the Suns will do with Durant. If the Heat strike out, then DeRozan would be the perfect addition, and add consistency and experience to a Heat team that badly needs both of those traits after trading away Jimmy Butler .
Related: Ranking Suns' 4 best realistic Kevin Durant trade packages
Related: Upcoming free agent 'hopes' for new deal with Heat before free agency
