The Heat have been pegged as the ‘team to watch‘ this summer when it comes to a potential Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, but such a move would have sweeping effects on the rest of the roster, write Anthony Chiang and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
One player who could be impacted by the move is unrestricted free agent Norman Powell. If the Heat don’t trade for Giannis, it’s unlikely they will offer Powell more than a one-year deal, as they will likely look to keep as much cap space as possible for the summer of 2027, which could have a strong free agent class.
However, if Miami is able to pull off a deal for the Bucks’ star forward, they could offer Powell a multi-year deal this summer to keep him around as a floor-spacer and scorer playing off the two-time MVP’s rim-focused attack.
A similar logic could apply to Pelle Larsson. If the Heat have Antetokounmpo and are no longer looking to hoard cap space, they could choose to sign the 25-year-old to an extension, though it’s also possible that the Bucks would ask for Larsson as part of the trade return.
We have more from around the Southeast Division:
One reason the Heat need to be very deliberate in how they approach a potential trade for the Greek star is the fact that they could be spending around 69% of their salary cap on Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo alone by the end of Adebayo’s deal, Ira Winderman writes for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Any trade for Antetokounmpo will likely have to come with an understanding of what he wants to do regarding a potential extension, which he becomes eligible for on October 1.
The Hornets had a successful 2025/26 season and now look to build on it and continue their journey to becoming a real playoff threat in the East. One player who is hoping to be a part of that surge is second-year forward Tidjane Salaun. Salaun is coming off a modest sophomore season, and he knows that he is facing a critical summer for growth, Roderick Boone writes for the Charlotte Observer. “It’s a big offseason, so I will keep working on my body,” Salaun said. “That’s the main thing — be more physical. With my defensive impact but also on offense, I can grow and be more impactful. And I have to just keep doing my thing by shooting when I’m open, keep rebounding and keep guarding the ball or be big on the shift.” Salaun averaged 6.0 points and 4.0 rebounds in 15.5 minutes this season, and most importantly, raised his three-point percentage from 28.3% as a rookie to 43.4% on 2.2 attempts per game.
The Knicks’ impressive run to the Finals could lead the Hawks to downplay their first-round loss at the hands of New York, but if they are serious about building this team not just into a playoff team, but a contender, then they need to resist that urge and instead understand what it is that sets the two teams so far apart, writes Ken Sugiura of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The Knicks showed that Atlanta is not close to where it wants to be yet, but will hopefully inspire the young core to work even harder this summer as they look to continue to grow as a team and as individual players.