Kevin Durant & Kyrie Irving’s Potential Move to Miami Heat Still on the Cards, Says Insider

An analyst’s take on Klay Thompson’s livestream comments as a “bat signal” to Miami two weeks ago turned out to be true. Thompson signed with the Heat days later. Now that same rumor mill has found its next target, except this time the players in question might not be sending signals themselves at all.

League insider Brendan Tobin raised the possibility that Miami could eventually pursue both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

“Durant and Irving — I saw a little Durant post on Giannis' IG, those two, to me, I think could be primed to be a Heat swing if it doesn’t go well for whatever reason,” Tobin said on his YouTube Channel on August 29. “That to me looks like if you were to snoop around and be like what’s the obvious… I was getting hit up on the Kyrie Irving thing nonstop… I’m not telling you the Heat won’t trade for Kyrie Irving… I think it would be unbelievably cool.”

Sun-Sentinel reporter Ira Winderman poured cold water on the Irving speculation.

“The math and common sense seemingly would make that unlikely, if not impossible,” Winderman wrote.

He pointed to the roster and cap complications of adding another max-level player after already absorbing Giannis Antetokounmpo’s salary.

Beyond the financial implications, the Mavericks themselves have pushed back on any suggestion Irving is available.

“He keeps getting put in all kinds of rumors, but we’re not looking to move Kyrie and Kyrie isn’t looking to be moved either,” a Dallas front office executive told NBA insider Keith Smith. "We didn't get to see him with Cooper (Flagg) last year, but we're very excited to see that pairing this year."

Why Irving to Miami Faces Real Resistance From the Mavs GM

New Mavericks general manager Masai Ujiri reinforced the stance shared by the Dallas front office executive. He said that the team is looking forward to seeing “how Kyrie fits playing with [Cooper] Flagg,” and called Irving “just that kind of incredible talent and player” the organization wants to build around, not trade away.

Irving is also still working back from a torn ACL suffered last season. That adds another layer of complication to any trade speculation involving him in the near term.

The Heat completely overhauled their roster this offseason after exiting in the play-in tournament. They acquired Antetokounmpo in a blockbuster trade and later signed Klay Thompson to address their shooting need.

According to reporting on Miami’s roster, the one remaining gap on their wish list is a true star table-setter at point guard, a role Irving would fill seamlessly next to Antetokounmpo’s downhill scoring, which is part of why his name keeps resurfacing even without concrete momentum behind it.

Durant’s inclusion in the same conversation stems partly from a since-noted Instagram interaction that fueled speculation about his own situation. Though no report has suggested his current team, the Houston Rockets, has any real intention of moving him either.