Udonis Haslem was caught in the crossfire on Friday.
The ESPN analyst and team vice president of player development for the Heat was in the middle of it on “The Pat McAfee Show” when insider Shams Charania joined as a guest to discuss the latest game of the NBA Finals and the offseason trade rumors, specifically those surrounding Kevin Durant.
The conversation pivoted to Durant, as the 15-time All-Star is seemingly the most available big-time player this summer with the report of Giannis Antetokounmpo likely staying put in Milwaukee.
Charania brought up that Miami is among the teams aggressively coveting the 15-time All-Star, as they have in the past.
McAfee went on to ask for Haslem, who played with the Heat from 2003-23, for his perspective.
That’s when the long-time Heat legend and three-time NBA champion had to sidestep the question, making for an awkward moment.
“Kevin Durant would fit in anywhere, but definitely I think he fits into Miami Heat culture,” Haslem said. “I can’t speak too much on it, but I would say he’s a guy who comes in and just has to be Kevin Durant.”
“Yo, UD, speak on it, man,” Charania interjected. “You’re on ‘The Pat McAfee Show.’”
Haslem laughed it off, but made it clear that his role within the Heat could be getting in the way of any Durant discussions or possible trade conversations.
“I’m the vice president of player development. I gotta keep my coins coming in,” he said. “If he happens to come into the Miami Heat locker room, he comes into a situation where you have a Hall of Fame coach already … you’ve got a team that has a culture already. So the questions that people have about Kevin Durant, can he be a leader? He doesn’t have to be a leader in Miami. They already have leadership, they already have a culture, they already have a hell of a head coach who’s a figure.”
Charania reported the top teams after Durant are Houston, Minnesota, and Miami, and that the trade could come “in the next few days.”
It’s not necessarily a unique situation, as other analysts around other mainstream sports run into the colliding views at times.
And it was probably a smart move by Haslem to give an open-ended answer, especially since he could have indirectly harmed the Heat if given a different answer.
The NBA fines teams and takes away draft picks for “tampering” with opposing teams’ players.
“Kevin Durant has put himself in a situation where he’s earned the right to pick and choose where he wants to go,” he added.