ESPN Insider claims Miami Heat have more check marks and believes Giannis Antetokounmpo wants to be there originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Giannis Antetokounmpo trade market has been building for weeks, but it now has a clear frontrunner according to one of the NBA’s most connected insiders.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, who previously expressed skepticism about Boston’s willingness to make the necessary moves, named Miami as the team to watch and went further by saying the seven-time All-Star specifically wants to land there.
“The team to watch here is Miami,” Windhorst said on Get Up. “Miami would say ‘we got Tyler Herro who is a young player and been an All Star. We got draft picks including the 13th pick in this draft.’ And Giannis, I think wants to be in Miami. There’s more check marks on Miami. I’m not sure Boston is ready to trade Jaylen Brown.”
Windhorst has been consistent in questioning whether the Celtics would pull the trigger on a Brown deal, keeping them at arm’s length despite the speculation around a potential pairing with Jayson Tatum.
Marc Stein had previously reported Miami was among Antetokounmpo’s preferred landing spots, and Windhorst’s Monday assessment puts the Heat clearly ahead of the field in his estimation.
What Miami’s trade package would likely look like and what the Heat keep
Brian Windhorst believes Giannis WANTS to be in Miami:
“The team to watch here is Miami. Miami would say ‘we got Tyler Herro who is a young player and been an All Star. We got draft picks including the 13th pick in this draft… And Giannis I think wants to be in Miami. There’s… pic.twitter.com/KzAASVjahc
— Heat Central (@HeatCulture13) June 8, 2026
The framework has been building in the background for weeks. A realistic package includes Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jovic, Miami’s No. 13 overall pick in this month’s draft, and multiple future first-rounders, according to FanSided.
Miami’s 2027 and 2028 first-round picks are already tied up in other transactions, limiting the draft capital they can offer, and in no case would they want to trade Bam Adebayo.
Giannis carries a $58.4 million salary and holds a player option for the 2027-28 season, giving the Bucks leverage to move him before he can walk for nothing.
Heats president Pat Riley publicly acknowledged after Miami’s season ended that the franchise has flexibility it hasn’t had in years:
“Now all I can give you is a bunch of excuses. And I don’t want to do that. We are just not good enough. We are not happy with it. This is the first time in those three years that we have an opportunity to do something with our roster, with our flexibility, with our players.” Riley said.
Antetokounmpo was spotted in Miami recently, which kept the Heat conversation alive regardless of whether it was a vacation or something more deliberate.
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