The Miami Heat were unable to trade for star forward Kevin Durant this offseason after they were linked to him for quite a while, as he got moved to the Houston Rockets.
While Miami didn’t reel in a big fish of Durant’s caliber this summer, he will reportedly “forever be a Heat possibility,” something to keep in mind if he ends up making it to free agency in the summer of 2026.
“Durant will forever be a Heat possibility if he makes it to free agency; the Heat always has held him in high regard, but key members of the organization disagreed about which players to offer in trade negotiations with Phoenix in June,” the Miami Herald‘s Barry Jackson wrote.
The Rockets took somewhat of a gamble by trading for Durant when he’s on an expiring contract. They risk losing him for nothing if he signs with another team after he gets paid around $54.7 million in the coming season.
It seems plausible that if his maiden season in Houston doesn’t go according to plan and the Rockets fall well short of a title, he could make it to free agency.
Houston is looking to win now after giving up multiple assets to acquire the 36-year-old. While it seems as if Durant is a stellar fit with the Rockets on paper, maybe he turns out to be more of a clunky fit playing for head coach Ime Udoka than initially anticipated.
At this stage of Durant’s career, however, Miami might have to put itself in a better position to contend in the 2026-27 campaign if it wants to lure him away from Houston in free agency. The Heat have some really talented players but don’t have a ton of star power, so convincing Durant that they’d be able to contend for a title with him might be a bit of a task.
Hopefully, the Heat will be seen as an appealing option to a free agent of Durant’s ilk by the time the 2026 offseason rolls around. But ultimately, what Miami’s roster will look like won’t matter if Durant doesn’t even make it to free agency. If he were to stay with Houston, the Heat would need to look elsewhere in order to have a chance at signing a major piece next summer.