“If there is one man who could do something it’s Pat Riley” Skip Bayless reveals how $80 Million President can turn the tables around for Kevin Durant amid messy trade saga
Follow Us
Kevin Durant vs the Heat in 2022
After 2 weeks of numerous trade rumors and fan-speculated-trade-packages, Kevin Durant is still in Barclays Nets. The 2x NBA Finals MVP requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets on 30th June, and since then the news is still a headliner with many teams failing to meet the Nets’ demands. But as per Skip Bayless, Pat Riley is trying to figure something out to bring the megastar to Miami. Reports from ESPN suggest that the Miami Heat is the desired landing spot for Durant, but they don’t seem to have complete pieces to pull off the trade, and even if they do make it miraculously, they will be losing a host of their star roaster and some future picks.
Losing two of their most valuable players may not be a wise decision, as it was only the ’depth’ in their roaster got them to the 2022 Conference Finals.
Many analysts have given their opinion on ‘The Durant trade saga’, and he staying in Brooklyn for a season is very much a unanimous outcome from the discussions. However, Bayless thinks Riley can pull off a spectacular move.
On “Undisputed: Skip and Shannon,” Bayless said, “There’s one man who I hold in the highest regard just the way I do Jerry West, who also has deep Laker connections that man is now running the Miami Heat and that man is Pat Riley.”
Skip Bayless looks at Miami Heat as a possible destination for Kevin Durant.
After a failed experiment at the Brooklyn Nets, 4-time Scoring Champion Kevin Durant decides to move away from the Nets projects. There are many reasons for “the break-up” but a vital point to see is whether he can be moved away or not, especially after Brooklyn Nets’ demands. Nets are looking for All-Star-caliber players and some future picks for their main man.
Many teams have failed so far to meet the asking price for 2-time Finals MVP”, and no single team can fulfill the Nets’ demands. But the 70-year-old analyst has faith in the “magic” of Pat Riley. He said, “If anybody can figure something out like this in ways that to the naked eye you can’t see it. Trust me but, and by all accounts, he is feverishly working behind the scenes to try to figure something out (for KD).”
Pat Riley is a shrewd businessman and hungry for success. The legendary Coach and President have left his mark on the league with Championship in every role – as a player, assistant coach, head coach, and even President. 9-time Champion Riley now might look to break the single-digit mark and add KD to win this 10th title.
Here is what Skip said, “I believe Pat thinks of Kevin what Jerry thinks of Kevin. In so doing, Pat says, ‘I wanna win at least one more title here before I’m finished, and the one guy who can do that for me the fastest is that guy. If in fact he’s available, I have to figure out how to go get him at any cost.'”
Miami Heat last reached the NBA Finals in 2020 but lost to the Lakers and the 2022 season lasted till the conference finals only after a hard-fought loss to the Celts. They have not won a championship since 2014, and it would be high time for the Eastern powerhouse to assert its dominance again in the league. They will have a legitimate chance of contending for the 2023 title with KD. We will have to wait for the package Miami would combine for Kevin Durant, keeping Bam Adebayo, and Jimmy Butler at the American Airlines Arena.
Stay Updated!
Kunal Chawda
(600 Articles Published)