Kel’el Ware on not being included in Kevin Durant trade talks: It made me feel the Heat wanted me

“They see the potential in me and they see what I can be. So my main goal is to just sort of repay that they didn’t make a mistake.” While the trade rumors were swirling last month before Durant was eventually dealt to the Rockets, Ware would get updates from his agent but tried to ignore the speculation. “I didn’t really see too much of it,” Ware said. “It was one of the things I was like if it happens, it happens. If not, it doesn’t. You got to think the Heat didn’t want to give me up, but that means the other team wanted me. I didn’t really pay no mind to it.” -via Miami Herald / July 4, 2025

Let’s start with Durant. For all the dysfunction that Phoenix endured last season, it’s a miracle the Suns were still a top 10 half-court team, which boils down to Durant and his consistency, even at age 36. According to Cleaning the Glass, the Suns were a plus-6.2 points better offensively when Durant was on the floor, a 90th percentile impact. Durant’s teams’ effective field goal percentage shoots up by nearly six percent, which has been a trend at each of his previous stops. With better players around him, Durant should help Houston’s numbers spike. It’s a seamless fit on paper, a smooth three-level scorer paired with high-motor athletes and a savvy low-post presence. -via New York Times / July 4, 2025

The former Boston Celtics star was talking on FS1 show “Speak” about LeBron James labeling Kevin Durant as the “most equipped” scorer in NBA history. Pierce didn’t like that and decided to toot his own horn. “I was probably the best pure scorer ever in the history of the NBA,” Pierce said. “I was pretty equipped. I need to be in this conversation. 3-point contest champ, all of that, post-ups. I must have been one of the most equipped.” -via Larry Brown Sports / July 4, 2025

“The best way to sum up Kel’el is I’m looking for him to put everybody on notice that he’s here and he’s for real in this league,” Heat assistant coach and this year’s summer league head coach Eric Glass said. “That basically is how everything is summed up. Yes, there are specifics that we’re trying to get into him. We always want to see him grow. There are leadership aspects. But he just needs to take the next step. He has all the capability in the world to go out and dominate games and practices, and that’s what we’re looking for from him.” -via Miami Herald / July 4, 2025

“My first words to him were, ‘Welcome and let’s get to work,’” Mourning recalled regarding his first conversation with Ware after the Heat took him with the 15th overall pick in last year’s draft. “And I told him, I said, ‘You have the potential to be one of the greatest players in Miami Heat franchise history. You have that potential. But you got to put in the work.’ And that’s how we started off the conversation. “He’s done just that. You think about how he started the season and how he ended it, he’s made incredible strides. So if we can continue to see that type of progress, then we’re on our way as a franchise.” -via Miami Herald / June 26, 2025