Report: Heat plan on making 'long-shot bid' for Kevin Durant
The Kevin Durant rumor mill hasn't slowed, and the Miami Heat continue to be in the middle of the action.
The Miami Herald's Barry Jackson reports the Heat are in play for Durant -- even though Miami appears to be a long shot:
With the salary cap set to spike by more than $20 million to an estimated $89 million next season, the Heat has left itself flexibility to accommodate the salary of any of the top-tier free agents --- from Kevin Durant to DeMar DeRozan to Al Jefferson.
But signing a top-tier player would likely mean the departure of Hassan Whiteside as well as Dwyane Wade needing to make a financial sacrifice.
One thing is clear: The Heat intends to make a long-shot bid to lure Durant, who sold his Miami condo earlier this year.
The Heat currently have only $48 million in guaranteed contracts lined up for next season, which would leave them with plenty of room to offer a max deal to Durant. It's only possible to approximate the value of a max deal now since the max is a percentage of the salary cap and we can only estimate next season's cap at the moment. But considering the cap projects to be around $89 million, Durant's max would start in the $26 million-to-$27 million range for Year 1 of the deal.
