Kevin Durant’s regular season with the Phoenix Suns in 2024-25 was marked by outstanding individual play but collective frustration.
Over 62 starts, the 36-year-old averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game on 52.7 percent shooting. Yet Phoenix limped to a 36-46 record, missed the playoffs for the first time since 2020 and finished with a minus-3.1 net rating, ranking 23rd in the NBA.
With two more years left of Bradley Beal’s five-year, $251 million contract limiting Phoenix’s offseason financially, Durant’s future in Phoenix is in serious doubt.
Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant could be on the move this offseason after two-plus seasons with the Phoenix Suns.
Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
As trade rumors swirled — with ESPN’s Shams Charania naming the Miami Heat, Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves as frontrunners — Heat legend Udonis Haslem made his preference clear.
“The situation in Miami will work, but at the end of the day, Kevin Durant has put himself in a situation and he’s earned the right to pick and choose where he wants to go," Haslem said.
Haslem, now a senior adviser in Miami, highlighted the franchise’s stability and winning culture. He stressed that bringing Durant into South Beach means more than adding scoring — it’s about leadership and a proven track record.
“If he happens to come into the Miami Heat locker room, he comes into a situation where you have a Hall of Fame coach already,” Haslem added.
That coach is Erik Spoelstra, who boasts a 787-572 regular-season record, six Finals appearances and back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013 over a 17-year head-coaching tenure.
Beyond coaching, Miami’s roster features All-Star shooting guard Tyler Herro — who averaged 23.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists on 47.2% shooting (37.5% from three) over 77 games in 2024-25 — and two-way center Bam Adebayo, who posted 18.1 points, 9.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists per contest across 78 outings.
The Heat also control Golden State’s 2025 first-round pick, which is No. 20, giving them a valuable asset to sweeten any potential trade package.