Kevin Durant is set to hit free agency in 2016, and there are going to be quite a few teams that will pursue him immediately when free agency opens up. One of those teams appears to be the Miami Heat, as Pat Riley is already zeroing in on him as a target to bring on board for next year. It isn't going to be easy to convince him to sign in South Beach with all of the other teams that are likely to be offering him large contracts.
It wouldn't be Miami's first time signing the league's top free agent despite major interest coming in from other teams. Just a short time ago, they were able to convince LeBron James to leave Cleveland and take his talents to Miami, which resulted in four straight NBA Finals appearances.
Last season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Durant was only able to play in 27 games. He ended up missing a big chunk of time due to a serious foot injury, and there are still concerns about him moving forward to this season. It was the same type of foot injury that ended Yao Ming's NBA career.
Durant ended up averaging 25.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game throughout the 27 games that he played. He shot 51.0 percent from the floor overall and knocked down 40.3 percent of his attempts from behind the three-point arc.
At 26 years old, Durant is in the prime of his career and has a lot of basketball left in his career. If Miami were able to lock him up to a long-term deal, they would likely immediately get back to being championship contenders. Dwyane Wade is year-to-year with them at this stage in his career, but Goran Dragic just signed a long-term extension himself.
Riley is one of the most convincing executives in the NBA, which makes the Heat a contender for almost any free agent that he truly wants to snag.
Needless to say, this piece of news is extremely intriguing to think about. Miami will have the necessary money to make a major push to sign Durant, but there have been reports that he will make his choice between either the Washington Wizards or the Thunder. Both of those teams are going to be very serious contenders for him as well, but the Heat are definitely going to be a possibility.
There is no question that he would fit perfectly into the long-term plans of Miami. He would fit into the franchise player role that they desperately needed last season, and simply don't have any more with Wade aging like he has been.
Expect to hear plenty of rumors surrounding Durant throughout the upcoming season. He is one of the most prized free agents that the NBA has had in a long time, and he is going to have a choice of wherever he wants to play the next chapter of his career. Miami may very well end up being the best option for him, and it makes for a very intriguing situation.
