Heat have prioritized pursuing Kevin Durant over Donovan Mitchell

RJ Barrett and Tyler Herro are the two extension-eligible 2019 first-rounders whose futures seem tied to the outcomes of the Durant and Mitchell trade sweepstakes. The Miami Heat remain focused on acquiring one of those aforementioned All-Stars, and multiple sources with knowledge of the situation told B/R that Miami has prioritized pursuing Durant over Mitchell.
Source: Jake Fischer @ Bleacher Report

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Josh Martin @LonzoWire
Max Kellerman dreamed up a blockbuster Kevin Durant trade to Chicago, but Jay Williams isn’t on board. lonzowire.usatoday.com/2022/07/19/kev… – 11:01 AM

Kurt Helin @basketballtalk
Rumor: Kevin Durant wants to stay with Nets – without Kyrie Irving nba.nbcsports.com/2022/07/19/rum… – 10:01 AM

Jake Fischer @JakeLFischer
The Kevin Durant and Donovan Mitchell trade sweepstakes are looming over RJ Barrett and Tyler Herro’s extension conversations. What about the other 2019 first-round picks still on the board for a new deal? More @br_nba: bleacherreport.com/articles/10042… – 9:44 AM

Shandel Richardson @ShandelRich
Do the Washington Wizards even have a chance at Durant? #miamiheat si.com/nba/heat/miami… – 1:04 AM

Barry Jackson @flasportsbuzz
From earlier: The agonizing element in potential Bam/Durant Heat trade decision, with Heat thus far disinclined to deal Adebayo: Scouts weigh in: miamiherald.com/sports/spt-col… – 10:16 PM

Donovan Mitchell @spidadmitchell
This kid Julio Rodriguez is nice!! – 9:47 PM

Donovan Mitchell @spidadmitchell
ALBERT!!!!! – 9:33 PM

Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
New @FrontOfficeShow is up! @Trevor_Lane and I talk Thor (yup!), then we dive into the Lakers, Donovan Mitchell, Ayton fallout, a couple of good extensions and more. Plus, I really need to get a haircut! Watch, like and subscribe below. Help us get to 19K!
youtu.be/4qmgIe_uwv0 – 9:17 PM

Evan Sidery @esidery
The star-craved Knicks have been waiting for this moment. Now, the time to strike has arrived after collecting the necessary war chest of assets.
For @basketbllnews, I dove into why Donovan Mitchell to the Knicks feels inevitable from multiple angles: basketballnews.com/stories/nba-tr… – 8:58 PM

Kane Pitman @KanePitman
New @lockedonbucks w/@Andy Larsen
-Joe Ingles play prior to the injury
-Fit alongside Giannis and the Bucks roster
-Clarkson and Pat Bev trades?
-Where does Donovan Mitchell land?
-Covering a contender to lottery team!
📺 https://t.co/Si2GqqyLtL
🎙️ https://t.co/fq5or6OoXX pic.twitter.com/YkVjS8Gh70 – 8:53 PM

Donovan Mitchell @spidadmitchell
Three Pete!!! @Mets – 8:24 PM

Ryan McDonald @ryanwmcdonald
When might a Donovan Mitchell trade get done? https://t.co/UgmLFvsWyI pic.twitter.com/l4a3bMGYFs – 8:00 PM

Adam Zagoria @AdamZagoria
Now on @njdotcom
Brooklyn Nets stars Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving ‘know’ a trade is ‘unlikely to happen,’ league source says nj.com/nets/2022/07/b… – 7:20 PM

Shandel Richardson @ShandelRich
Do the Wizards even have a chance at Durant? si.com/nba/heat/.amp/… – 7:08 PM

Sam Quinn @SamQuinnCBS
After last year’s endless flood of meetings at LeBron’s house I demand to know who else he and AD have talked to on the phone. Show me the Donovan Mitchell call logs you cowards. – 7:04 PM

Ric Bucher @RicBucher
Why Rudy Gobert Got Traded, Why KD Hasn’t shows.acast.com/bucher-and-fri… via @acast – 6:50 PM

Barry Jackson @flasportsbuzz
With Heat to this point reluctant to give up Bam (who turns 25 today) in a Durant trade, exploring the issue, with scouts weighing in: miamiherald.com/sports/spt-col… – 5:46 PM

StatMuse @statmuse
Kevin Durant most PPG against a team:
32.0 vs Thunder
29.9 vs Warriors pic.twitter.com/4BG1xS57Gq – 5:34 PM

Shandel Richardson @ShandelRich
Still no movement on Kevin Durant situation #miamiheat si.com/nba/heat/miami… – 4:20 PM

Kurt Helin @basketballtalk
Report: Jazz talked Donovan Mitchell trades before dealing Rudy Gobert nba.nbcsports.com/2022/07/18/rep… – 4:00 PM

Marc Stein @TheSteinLine
Kevin Durant stuck (for now) in Brooklyn? Now why is that?
My latest around-the-league notes compilation freshly dispatched worldwide explores: marcstein.substack.com/p/kd-stuck-in-… – 3:00 PM

Barry Jackson @flasportsbuzz
NEW: Should the Heat offer Bam in a trade for Durant, if the arcane rule preventing Simmons & Bam from both being on the Nets can be navigated? I spoke to 2 scouts who feel strongly about this. And where things stand: miamiherald.com/sports/spt-col… – 12:59 PM

Ian Begley @IanBegley
From earlier: my read on where Donovan Mitchell/NYK talks stood heading into the weekend (don’t think much has changed), including Jazz asking for package including RJ Barrett in earlier discussions with NYK, Knicks’ desire to land Mitchell & MIA looming: sny.tv/articles/donov… – 12:05 PM

Marc Stein @TheSteinLine
7 PM ET tonight via @SpotifyLive: Blockbuster chat w/ @Tony Jones from the heart of the Donovan Mitchell trade chase to catch up on ALL the latest … plus some surprising Vegas scuttle about Tony’s own game. Join us: spotifylive.link/steinlinelive
More NBA: marcstein.substack.com – 11:57 AM

More on this storyline

 

And while Poole has been rumored as a potential piece in a theoretical Warriors trade package to land Durant, there has been little traction between Golden State and Brooklyn on such a blockbuster transaction, sources said. Despite the apparent openness—both from Warriors veterans and Durant himself—regarding a superstar reunion in the Bay, Golden State has not been categorized as a team that’s made serious overtures to pry Durant from Barclays Center. -via Bleacher Report / July 19, 2022

Kevin Durant has publicly supported friend and teammate Kyrie Irving then requested a trade from the Nets – reportedly because he disliked how they treated Irving. But what if Durant had the complete opposite reason for requesting a trade? Dave McMenamin of ESPN: “There’s a school of thought, speaking to people around the league, that they think that the Durant trade request wasn’t actually about him getting out of Brooklyn. It was about getting Kyrie out of Brooklyn.” -via NBC Sports / July 19, 2022

Brooklyn Nets stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving “know” a trade is unlikely and have accepted the reality that they may not be dealt anytime soon. “They know behind the scenes that it’s difficult, that it’s unlikely to happen,” a league source said, adding that “the Nets also knew that they’re going to make it so hard in the sense of the demands they’re looking for in return, no one’s going to meet that. -via Newark Star-Ledger / July 19, 2022

If Poole regresses—or simply entrenches himself as a strong starter-level player rather than a budding All-Star—then Golden State might be able to find an agreement closer to Anfernee Simons’ four-year, $100 million deal with Portland this summer. ‘”What’s the upside in locking him in now?'” one team cap strategist told B/R. ‘”He’s not Luka Doncic or Donovan Mitchell, who’ve proven they can carry a team. He’s close. If he does it again, you pay him. But prior to this year he was a borderline rotation player.'” -via Bleacher Report / July 19, 2022

“The Knicks and the Jazz will reengage here at some point… The Jazz are not gonna necessarily move quickly… New York is motivated to get Donovan Mitchell but I think they’re also motivated to not just give up everything to get him.” -via Twitter @ClutchPointsApp / July 19, 2022

The perpetually title-or-bust Heat, not surprisingly, are all-in on scouring the league to try to manufacture extra first-round picks to boost their chances of completing a trade for Kevin Durant or Utah’s Donovan Mitchell. But more teams than not are asking themselves this question: If we trade for Durant, how long before he wants to go somewhere else? -via marcstein.substack.com / July 18, 2022