It seems that the Miami Heat are connected to every available superstar. It might be great to be in the headlines, but it’s not a great feeling to strike out at every single one of their pitches. The most recent star the Heat seemingly have missed out on acquiring is future Hall-of-Fame forward Kevin Durant.
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Ahead of the 2025-26 season, the two-time NBA champion decided to join the Houston Rockets rather than move to South Beach. However, Heat star Tyler Herro revealed they were quite close to becoming Durant’s new home.
It’s funny how quickly times can change. A few months ago, Durant was mulling over the Heat as a potential trade destination. Fast forward today, and he is getting into a heated exchange with All-Star Tyler Herro.
For those unaware, the Heat and Rockets have a bit of bad blood. Last season, Herro and Amen Thompson got into an infamous scuffle. It seems those tempers transferred to the Rockets and Heat’s recent matchup on February 28 as Herro and Durant had to be separated after a heated verbal exchange.
KEVIN DURANT & TYLER HERRO EXCHANGE WORDS.
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) February 28, 2026
From the untrained eye, it appeared that there was animosity between the two, but that is far from the case. Following the game, Herro spoke with Miami Herald journalist Anthony Chiang to clear the air on his relationship with Durant.
“Me and Kev been cool for a long time,” Herro said. “He used to send me shoes in high school. We were just competing.”
Tyler Herro on his relationship with Kevin Durant:
“Me and Kev been cool for a long time. He used to send me shoes in high school. I’ve always been knowing KD for a minute. Yeah, he almost came here last year in the offseason. We were just competing. We were just talking normal… pic.twitter.com/wiwBWXQweS
— Heat Central (@HeatCulture13) March 3, 2026
Intensity, such as what Durant and Herro displayed, is quite normal for NBA players. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were best friends off the court, but turned into enemies once tip-off began. It’s a testament to how strong Herro and Durant’s drive to win truly is.
Herro could’ve kept his explanation to just that, but he included a fun fact, which caught many people by surprise. Apparently, his connection with Durant is so strong that it was nearly enough to sway the 16-All-Star to Miami.
“He almost came here last year in the offseason,” Herro revealed.
That might be the worst thing Heat fans could hear, considering they missed out on yet another star player. Durant’s skill set would certainly help the Heat tremendously, who currently sit at the eighth seed with a 32-29 record.
Unfortunately, Durant wasn’t the star to solve the Heat’s problems. However, Pat Riley is always on the lookout for the next star to bring to Miami, which could happen sooner rather than later.
