The Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes are in full swing, and contending teams around the league are lining up to offer the Milwaukee Bucks the best deal possible, or at least one they would accept to make their superstar happy upon his departure.
While it’s mostly been the New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, and San Antonio Spurs as teams most likely to land Antetokounmpo, the Miami Heat have been waiting in the shadows for a blockbuster trade for the two-time MVP.
Writing for The Athletic, Sam Amick, after highlighting many reasons why the previously named teams would struggle to trade for Antetokounmpo, outlined why the Heat could have the best chance of landing the star forward.
“The Miami Heat, for example, are often handicapped by league insiders as a place that Antetokounmpo might be willing to call his new basketball home,” the insider wrote.
Antetokounmpo recently suffered a calf strain and hasn’t suited up for the Bucks since December 3rd, with some expecting he’s already played his last game in Milwaukee.
Heat Up In The Giannis Trade Rumors Rankings
Miami has consistently been mentioned as a team that could offer the Bucks the right package for Antetokounmpo.
“Pat Riley and company could offer the Bucks a yacht full of draft assets, all their best young players (All-Star Tyler Herro, promising young big man Kel’el Ware, small forward Jaime Jaquez Jr.) and salary filler (Terry Rozier, if the NBA allows it) to make the numbers work,” Amick added.
Along with what they could give up for Antetokounmpo, Amick recently said that the organization as a whole matches what the Greek Freak is looking for in the second half of his career.
“While the Heat aren’t Antetokounmpo’s preferred destination, they present a compelling case for potentially winning these sweepstakes,” Zach Buckley wrote for Bleacher Report. “[Amick] recently described Miami as a potentially “great fit,” noting the organization’s “culture” and its “appetite to go out and get star players.”
NBA insider Howard Beck also recently tabbed the Heat as a top destination for Antetokounmpo. They’ve made splashes before in the past, and if they can offer up a few young players along with some picks, it would likely only come down to whether Antetokounmpo himself wants to move to South Beach.
Miami Heat, Giannis Trade Idea
As Buckley wrote, citing Amick’s recent reporting on Antetokounmpo’s future, Miami could beat out teams like the Warriors, Lakers, and Spurs as a landing spot for the 2021 Finals MVP.
While it is extremely hard to see Golden State being involved in an Antetokounmpo trade that doesn’t involve them getting the star, he offered up a blockbuster trade idea that would, in fact, bring him to the Heat.
Heat receive: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Buddy Hield, Trayce Jackson-Davis
Warriors receive: Andrew Wiggins, Dru Smith
Bucks receive: Tyler Herro, Jonathan Kuminga, Kel’el Ware, GSW 2026 first-round pick (lottery-protected), MIA 2029 first-round pick (swap), MIA 2030 first-round pick, MIA 2031 first-round pick (swap), MIA 2032 first-round pick
“He is exactly the kind of megatalent Miami must have to re-enter the championship chase,” Buckley wrote on this mock trade. “If there’s a way for the Heat to get him without giving up Bam Adebayo, that’s probably a deal this franchise makes 20 times out of 10.”
A deal like this seems out of the question, but still, teams around the league will be lining up if they even have a sniff at the chance to get Antetokounmpo. As of now, it still feels like an open race, but the heat seems to be quickly rising in the ranks as the top candidate.
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