The Giannis Antetokounmpo trade market has started to shift this week, with several reports identifying the miami-heat-giannis-antetokounmpo/">Miami Heat as one of the top suitors for the Milwaukee Bucks superstar.
After Miami put forward a trade offer for the Greek Freak at the deadline that reportedly drew interest from Milwaukee, the expectation is that the Heat will re-enter conversations with the Bucks this offseason as they continue their pursuit of the two-time MVP.
Miami has a mix of promising young talent and valuable draft assets that could be used to build a competitive offer for Antetokounmpo. If a deal were to come together, the Heat would likely look to keep veterans Andrew Wiggins and Norman Powell in place, forming a core strong enough to push for contention in the Eastern Conference, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
“If the Heat acquires Antetokounmpo, Miami might be able to re-sign impending free agent Norman Powell and Andrew Wiggins (who has a $30 million player option) and use the full $15.5 million mid-level exception if both players take slight pay cuts in the first year of potential multi-year deals and if the Heat is willing to spend above the $201 million tax line but below the $209 million first apron,” Jackson wrote in his article.
What needs to happen for the Heat to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo?
Jackson added that the Heat would have to shed roughly $47 million in salary to be able to take on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s substantial cap hit in any potential trade scenario.
“If the Heat gets Antetokounmpo, Miami must send out at least $46.5 million in salary to take on Antetokounmpo’s $58.4 million.”
The exact package Miami put on the table for Giannis Antetokounmpo at the February trade deadline has not been publicly confirmed, but the expectation is that the Heat will revisit a similar framework this summer, potentially centering offers around players such as Kel’el Ware and Tyler Herro.
“Numerous hypothetical packages of players would satisfy cap rules — including Ware, Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Pelle Larsson and Dru Smith or Ware, Herro, Jaquez and Nikola Jovic.”
A full offseason still lies ahead for the Heat to continue reshaping their roster. If Miami pulls off a deal for Giannis Antetokounmpo, the franchise would likely stay aggressive in making additional moves to balance and strengthen the roster around one of the NBA’s top stars.
