Buried under the news that the Houston Rockets have acquired Kevin Durant were reports that the Miami Heat were also in the running to land the superstar. Considering that the Charlotte Hornets own one of the Heat's future draft picks, they are likely thrilled that Durant is headed to Texas and not South Florida.
The concerned draft capital is a lottery-protected first-round selection in 2027. If Miami becomes a playoff team in the 2026-27 campaign, Charlotte will get a late first-rounder in the ensuing offseason. Otherwise, the pick loses its protection in the 2028 draft.
So, while the Hornets don't want to wish ill against another team, they stand to benefit from the Heat continuing to languish in the standings. Not getting Durant increases the likelihood of Miami becoming a lottery squad again in 2027.
Hornets are likely monitoring Heat's situation
Interestingly, though, it seems the Heat weren't that serious in bringing in the two-time champion. Apparently, they were unwilling to part ways with any of Kel'El Ware, Nikola Jovic, and their future draft picks. Their final package offer reportedly consisted of this year's 20th overall draft pick, Andrew Wiggins, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Haywood Highsmith, and Terry Rozier, who is the reason Charlotte owns that 2027 pick and is likely monitoring the situation in Miami.
To be fair to the Heat, resisting the temptation to agree to ship additional assets to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for a future Hall of Famer a few years from turning 40 could end up paying dividends in the long run. The recently concluded playoffs have shown how important depth is to legitimately compete for the championship, and gutting their roster for the chance to pry Durant away would have probably had Miami stuck in mediocrity.
On the other hand, it's also easy to see why some Heat fans are frustrated with how the events unfolded, as adding KD to the mix could have been the franchise's best bet to be a contender in the next two to three years. The front office could have just scoured the free agency and trade market to replace the key pieces it would have lost in the potential deal.
There's not much Miami can do now except to pivot to other targets, although there aren't too many options in the market for now. Of course, the Hornets would possibly rather see their Southeast Division rival struggle in the next few years to get the highest possible value of what the Heat owe them.