NBA rumors: Heat plotting Kyrie Irving trade while they wait on Kevin Durant

The Miami Heat have been linked in trade rumors to Kevin Durant and Donovan Mitchell. But would they settle for Kyrie Irving instead?

The Miami Heat are watching and waiting, hoping for a chance to add Kevin Durant or Donovan Mitchell. The Jazz reportedly aren’t that enamored with what the Heat are offering for Mitchell but Miami’s odds of adding Durant may have gone up with the Phoenix Suns out of the picture. But while they’re working on those details, there’s another option to think about.

Frank Isola commented on a recent Dan LeBatard segment to say he’d heard that Kyrie Irving for Kyle Lowry was a possibility.

Would the Miami Heat really trade Kyle Lowry for Kyrie Irving?

Lowry was the Heat’s big addition last season but it didn’t go exactly as either side hoped. Lowry missed 19 games with injury during the regular season and another eight during the postseason. On a per-minute basis, his regular season numbers were in line with his recent career averages but he averaged just 7.8 points per game in the postseason, shooting 29.1 percent from the field and 24.1 percent from beyond the arc.

On paper, Irving may be a better fit with his offensive creation but the presumed availability of each player is likely a wash at this point. And Lowry is a much better defender who still has plenty to offer on offense, postseason slump aside. Irving would be a huge gamble for team culture as well, something that is obviously prized by Miami.

For the Nets, Lowry may not have much value but he’d probably be far easier to trade than Irving and it’s clear they don’t want to bring Kyrie back if they don’t have to. Whatever they can get for Lowry in a subsequent trade is probably better than taking back Russell Westbrook.