NBA Rumors: Miami Heat Welcome Kevin Durant, Release Mario Chalmers; Justise Winslow Serves As Backup for Dwyane Wade

By Mitch de Leon
Kevin Durant
The Golden State Warriors eye the potential transfer of Kevin Durant in the NBA champions' team.

The Miami Heat roster is currently teeming with talented NBA stars ranging from veterans Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to newcomer Justise Winslow. With the 2016 free agency year coming up soon, the Miami Heat are now eyeing potential additions to the NBA. Bearing in mind that the 2016 free agency will put back in the market stars like LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Dwight Howard of the Houston Rockets and even Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat, it appears that the player Chris Bosh's team cannot seem to get enough of is none other than Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

"Could they make a move for Durant? Sure," confirmed Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel in interview in the Alex Donno Show, referring to the rumored interest of the Miami Heat on the Oklahoma City Thunder star. However, Winderman pointed out that the move to pursue Kevin Durant will cause the Miami Heat some major changes in the roster - that is, fostering the need to cut off some of the NBA stars in the Dwyane Wade team. With the cap space hovering over the Miami Heat and the NBA luxury tax bill, the following months will see a shift in the spending strategy of the team.

The sports analyst added, "Is Pat Riley plotting in that direction? Absolutely. But I think it will take a certain degree of tearing up the roster also and that's why I think for a team that has traded away all of its first-round picks basically beyond 2021 and has limited resources, that Hassan Whiteside also could be a trade chip." Winderman went on to say, "That if the NBA does go to small ball and if the Heat can be comfortable with Bosh and McRoberts, which I really want to see in the preseason, then there's a chance instead of waiting to pay Hassan Whiteside I could see if the Heat make a move like that and sort of cut their ties there to Whiteside at the trading deadline that will be an absolute signal that Pat Riley's going all-in for Kevin Durant."

Looking at the prediction of Winderman, the observation actually merits a lot of potential. The Miami Heat could not afford to lose Dwyane Wade. Hence, his re-signing with the Miami Heat in 2016 should be in the bag for the NBA team. However, Whiteside has been struggling with issues on and off the court. Moreover, keeping both Whiteside and Dwyane Wade while also bringing in a big NBA star like Kevin Durant is nothing but impossible for the Miami Heat.

While Whiteside could be used as a trading chip, other players in the Miami Heat roster are touted to be sent to the trading block in an effort by the NBA team to acquire the much needed cap space to pursue Kevin Durant. Both Chris Andersen and Mario Chalmers have been speculated to be up in the NBA trading block since the start of the offseason. With the hefty salaries of both stars, it comes as no surprise that the Miami Heat want them off their hands. However, the Miami Heat also paid big sums to acquire both Chris Andersen and Mario Chalmers. With that in mind, it had been challenging to find an NBA team to agree to a trade that will provide the Miami Heat a return of investment for both athletes.

As for the upcoming NBA season, the Miami Heat appear to be looking forward to utilizing the skill set of top pick Justise Winslow. In an interview with Miami Herald, Justise Winslow shared that the Miami Heat intend to give him "really special" assignment during the NBA season. He further shared that the Miami Heat bosses want him "trying to find spots where if I'm in a game with [Dwyane] Wade, [Goran] Dragic and [Chris] Bosh, where I can be most efficient."

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