The Miami Heat are among the favorites to land Giannis Antetokounmpo should he demand a trade from the Milwaukee Bucks.
Sports Betting AG gave the Heat the third-best odds at +500 behind the New York Knicks (+100) and the San Antonio Spurs (+200). Trailing the Heat are the Brooklyn Nets (+600) and the Boston Celtics (+1600) in the top five betting favorites to become Antetokounmpo’s next team.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Antetokounmpo’s future in Milwaukee remains in doubt.
“We’re standing here, it’s Aug. 4. Sources tell me there’s still nothing set in stone about whether Giannis Antetokounmpo will stay in Milwaukee or whether he will be leaving,” Charania said on ESPN’s “Get Up” on Aug. 4. “And so, he’s going to continue to evaluate his future.
“I reported it in mid-May that he’s evaluating whether his best fit is in Milwaukee or is it elsewhere. And that process is continuing. There’s been some very real conversations over the past week or so. The constant question that Giannis has, though, is, ‘Can I win a championship with this roster? Is this roster going to be one for this upcoming year and 2026-2027?’ He wants to win a second championship. So, he’s asking that question over and over.”
The Bucks essentially replaced Brook Lopez, who signed with the Los Angeles Clippers in free agency, with Myles Turner. And then they got career backup point guard Cole Anthony to fill in the spot left by the injured Damian Lillard, whose remaining $103 million contract was waived and stretched to create cap room to sign Turner.
But those are not needle-movers, which makes Antetokounmpo antsy about his chance to win a coveted second ring.
B/R’s Antetokounmpo Trade Package for Heat
Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes proposed a trade that could bring Antetokounmpo to South Beach in exchange for a package headlined by Milwaukee’s son, Tyler Herro.
Here is Hughes’ trade proposal:
Miami Heat Receive: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Milwaukee Bucks Receive: Tyler Herro, Andrew Wiggins, Kel’el Ware, a 2027 first-round swap, a 2029 first-round swap, a 2030 first-round pick, a 2031 first-round swap and a 2032 first-round pick
“It’s hard to imagine Giannis signing up for a South Beach tenure that doesn’t involve Bam Adebayo, so part of the reason Miami green-lights this deal is because it gets to keep its perennial All-Defense center out of it,” Hughes wrote. “…This deal allows Miami to retain Norman Powell, which mitigates Herro’s loss a bit. If the Heat orient the offense around an on-ball version of Antetokounmpo, they should be able to get at least as much juice out of it as they did when Jimmy Butler, essentially a non-shooter, paired with Adebayo on a couple of Finals teams.”
Tyler Herro’s Future in Miami
Getty Will Tyler Herro stay in Miami or will the Heat be looking to trade him to avoid paying him?
According to NBA Insider Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, teams around the NBA will begin to monitor Herro’s status with the Heat in the coming months.
“Tyler Herro becomes eligible for a three-year extension worth near $150 million with the Miami Heat in October before the start of the 2025-26 season. This is a situation teams are keeping an eye on, as Pat Riley has always been cautious with giving out extensions (see Jimmy Butler’s situation for details),” Siegel wrote. “A decision to extend or not to extend Herro will tell the tale of how the Heat view themselves in the East.”
Herro, who was a local legend in Milwaukee before the Heat selected him 13th overall in 2019, has blossomed into an All-Star last season.
The 25-year-old Herro averaged 23.9 points and 5.5 assists, both career bests, to lead the Heat last season.
If the Bucks are to mitigate the potential backlash in Milwaukee for an Antetokounmpo trade, bringing home one of their own could help.
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