Subscribe
Follow Us
With Kevin Durant’s future in Phoenix growing increasingly uncertain, former Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem is making his pitch for the 15-time All-Star to take his talents to South Beach.
On the heels of ESPN’s Shams Charania reporting that the Miami Heat are among the teams engaged in trade discussions for Durant, Haslem offered his perspective on why Miami would be a strong fit for the 36-year-old forward. Charania revealed ahead of Game 4 of the NBA Finals that the Heat, Houston Rockets, and Minnesota Timberwolves have all held conversations within the past 24 hours regarding a potential deal for Durant.
In response, Haslem spoke on the Pat McAfee Show, delivering a measured yet pointed recruiting pitch centered on Miami’s established culture and structure.
“I mean Kevin Durant would fit in anywhere, but definitely I feel like he fits in the Miami Heat culture and I can’t speak too much on it, but I would say he’s a guy who comes in and just has to be Kevin Durant,” Haslem said.
Shams says its Houston, Minnesota and Miami for Kevin Durant
UD follows up with a recruiting pitch to KD
(Via @PatMcAfeeShow) pic.twitter.com/SIHhaDpWRk
— Heat Culture (@HeatCulture13) June 13, 2025
He elaborated further on the environment Durant would be entering if a trade to the Heat were to materialize.
“What I will say is if it happens, if he happens to come into the Miami Heat locker room he comes into a situation where you have a Hall of Fame coach [Erik] Spoelstra the knowstra, a team that has a culture already… so the questions that people have about Kevin Durant: can Kevin Durant be a leader? He doesn’t have to be a leader in Miami,” Haslem said.
Article Continues Below
Udonis Haslem highlights Heat’s culture, Erik Spoelstra’s pedigree as ideal fit for Kevin Durant
“They already have leadership, they already have a culture, they already have a helluva a head coach who’s a figure. Is Kevin Durant going to respect the guy? His accolades, MVPs, Hall of Famer, scoring championships… you can’t just have anybody coach Kevin Durant. You can’t have a guy that has no experience come in and say, ‘Hey, Kevin, you need to do this to win a championship.’ Kevin [is] gonna be like, ‘I got more championships than you. I could tell your a*s what to do to win a championship.’ So, you have a coach that has that pedigree and Kevin Durant’s going to respect that.”
Haslem concluded, “So, yes, 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.”
Durant is entering his 18th NBA season and is still under contract with the Phoenix Suns, but trade speculation has surrounded him since the February deadline. He averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists over 62 games in the 2024-25 season, though Phoenix missed the playoffs entirely with a 36-46 record.
As the Suns face an offseason of potential change under new head coach Jordan Ott, multiple contenders remain on alert. Haslem’s comments only add to the intrigue as Miami looks to retool around Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo while seeking its next superstar addition.
