Assuming the Milwaukee Bucks move on from Giannis Antetokounmpo, what could the Miami Heat offer? (Mandatory Credit: Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
The biggest name on the trade block this summer is Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. Ideally, the Bucks would like for this situation to be settled by next month’s NBA Draft, less than six weeks away. And we know the Miami Heat will be interested, among several other teams.
But what can the Heat offer, hypothetically? Let’s examine!
What assets can the Miami Heat offer for Giannis Antetokounmpo?
For the sake of this exercise, we won’t include Bam Adebayo. They’re not trading their three-time All-Star no matter what; plus, his presence would be one of the Heat’s foremost selling points for the two-time MVP.
Here’s what they can include:
Three first-round picks (their No. 13 overall pick on draft night only, plus two between years 2030-33; cannot be back-to-back seasons)
First-round pick swaps between 2029-33, excluding seasons where their FRPs are moved.
Two second-round picks (No. 41 overall, 2033)
Tyler Herro ($33 million)
Kel’el Ware ($4.7 million)
Davion Mitchell ($12.4 million)
Jaime Jaquez Jr. ($5.9 million)
Nikola Jovic ($16.2 million)
Kasparas Jakucionis ($3.8 million)
Dru Smith ($2.6 million; non-guaranteed)
Myron Gardner ($2.6 million; partially guaranteed)
Pelle Larsson ($2.3 million team option)
To avoid hard-capping itself below the second apron, the Heat would have to send out more salary than they receive back. Thus, a deal for Antetokounmpo, who’s making $58.5 million this year, would have to include Tyler Herro, plus a combination of Nikola Jovic, Davion Mitchell — an underrated asset for Miami — and Jaime Jaquez Jr. Though the Heat would likely have to hard-cap themselves by use of the mid-level exception — by using more than the taxpayer’s portion — if they want to field a strong team around Antetokounmpo.
This doesn’t have to be just a two-team scenario. The Heat could get creative and send, say, Tyler Herro to Detroit, who could subsequently flip assets to the Bucks. Although if more teams get involved, the more moving parts … and the Heat don’t have a ton of desirable parts to move to begin with.
The Heat won’t be the only team interested. While Antetokounmpo would preferably want to play out East, he also wants to play for a contender. Miami doesn’t have any margin-for-error, even though it will have to get uncomfortable to land Antetokounmpo, a top-5 player in the sport when healthy.
What would you be willing to give up for the Bucks’ superstar?! Let us know in the comments!
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