Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) and Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) battle for position under the basket during the first half of their game at Kaseya Center in Miami on April 5, 2025. David Santiago dsantiago@miamiherald.com
The Miami Herald’s Heat mailbag is here to answer your questions. If you weren’t able to ask this time, send your questions for future mailbags via X (@Anthony_Chiang). You can also email them to achiang@miamiherald.com.
@LennoxHeatLifer: Any chance the Heat go after Giannis?
Anthony Chiang: The Heat and pretty much every other team in the league would be interested in Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo if he actually becomes available on the trade market. That’s an easy one. Antetokounmpo is a two-time NBA MVP still playing at a very high level.
The real question is would the Heat have enough to put together a competitive trade offer for Antetokounmpo?
The Bucks will likely start by asking for Heat captain and three-time All-Star center Bam Adebayo in any potential such trade discussions, which could be problematic because he has become the Heat’s face of the franchise and shares an agent with Antetokounmpo in Alex Saratsis. Also, part of Antetokounmpo’s potential interest in joining the Heat would likely stem from an interest in playing alongside Adebayo and not being traded for him.
Even if the Heat makes its entire roster available in a potential trade for Antetokounmpo, Miami still may not have enough tradeable draft picks to get such a deal done.
Because the Heat’s 2024 trade for Terry Rozier includes a lottery-protected 2027 first-round pick going to the Charlotte Hornets that would turn into an unprotected 2028 first-round pick if it doesn’t convey in 2027, Miami currently has the ability to trade only two first-round picks (2030 and 2032).
NBA teams are only allowed to trade picks up to seven drafts into the future and league rules prohibit teams from being without future first-round picks in consecutive years.
For those wondering whether the Heat could get its draft pick back from the Hornets since Miami was not made aware of the unusual betting activity involving Rozier prior to the 2024 trade, that still seems unlikely at this point.
In fact, the Heat has yet to even receive clarity from the league about whether Rozier’s salary can be used as part of a trade in the wake of his October arrest stemming from a federal gambling investigation. That NBA source also indicated the Heat has not yet received clarity from the league about whether it could even waive Rozier before his full salary for this season becomes guaranteed in January.
Rozier’s expiring $26.6 million salary would be helpful for salary-matching purposes in any potential trade discussions with the Bucks for Antetokounmpo, who is on a $54.1 million salary this season. But as of now, it’s unclear if Rozier can be included in a trade.
On a positive note, the Heat does have intriguing young talent it could include in a trade like 21-year-old center Kel’el Ware, 24-year-old forward Jaime Jaquez Jr., 24-year-old guard Pelle Larsson and 19-year-old guard Kasparas Jakucionis. But it will be challenging to trade 22-year-old forward Nikola Jovic this season because of rules that make it hard to deal a player whose extension hasn’t kicked in yet.
To fulfill the league’s salary-matching rules, the Heat would also very likely need to include two players among the three-man group of Tyler Herro ($31 million salary), Andrew Wiggins ($28.2 million) and Norman Powell ($20.5 million) as part of any potential trade for Antetokounmpo. This is assuming Adebayo is off the table and Rozier is not eligible to be dealt.
But is this all enough?
For perspective, the Orlando Magic traded four unprotected first-round picks to acquire Desmond Bane from the Memphis Grizzlies this past offseason. The New York Knicks traded four unprotected first-round picks and one protected first-round pick to land Mikal Bridges during the 2024 offseason. The Minnesota Timberwolves traded three unprotected first-round picks and one protected first-round pick to add Rudy Gobert during the 2022 offseason.
So, the Heat’s two unprotected first-round picks doesn’t seem like enough for a future Hall of Famer still in his prime like Antetokounmpo. Especially when teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Picks have a bunch of first-round picks and attractive young talent they could offer for Antetokounmpo.
Of course, the Heat could get creative and try to flip players to acquire more first-round picks that it can throw in an Antetokounmpo deal if Miami thinks it has a real shot at him.
But for the Heat to have a real chance at acquiring Antetokounmpo if he becomes available ahead of the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline, it could come down to Antetokounmpo making the Heat his preferred trade destination. But even that might not be enough because the Bucks still have the right to make the deal they feel is best for their franchise, similar to how the Portland Trail Blazers-Damian Lillard trade saga played out during the 2023 offseason.
@SchoningerMark: It seems like the Heat are playing a “Moneyball” style of basketball. Going forward, could they focus on draft picks and lower priced talent instead of high-priced talent, and still be competitive?
Anthony: That’s a helpful cost-effective strategy, especially with this CBA that punishes teams with high payrolls. But superstars win championships.
So yes, the Heat will continue to try to maximize its draft picks and find overlooked talent that it can sign to team-friendly contracts. But in the end, superstars are needed to win championships and that’s what the Heat is after.