It's time for the Miami Heat to get serious about a potential all-out pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo. But if the Heat genuinely wants to load up for a realistic run at Giannis, they'll have to trade both Andrew Wiggins and Norman Powell ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline.
I suppose this may not entirely be the case if the Milwaukee Bucks hold on to Giannis until the summer, but if he does become available at the trade deadline, which does seem to be gaining some traction, the Heat need to add some draft capital to emerge as a plausible suitor.
Right now, the Heat can only build a trade package that includes two first-round picks. As strong as they may feel their young assets like Kel'el Ware, Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., and Kasparas Jakucionis may be, that's just not going to cut it.
One of the best players of this generation is not going to be traded for a collection of unproven young players and two first-round picks. That's not happening. That's why if the Heat is serious about trading for Giannis, they need to find a pathway to more draft capital - and sooner rather than later.
The Heat might need to trade Andrew Wiggins and Norman Powell
Unfortunately, the easiest way for the Heat to get there is by trading two of their most productive players this season. Wiggins and Powell have been a big part of what the Heat have been able to do this season, but flipping them for additional draft capital may be a necessity right now.
If the Heat's ultimate goal is Giannis, which reportedly has been their dream for years, there's no holding back now. Miami needs to do everything it can to put itself in a driving position for Giannis.
Getting more draft picks to sweeten an offer should be the Heat's No. 1 priority in the final two weeks before the NBA Trade Deadline. Wiggins and Powell are the perfect players to accomplish this.
Both players could end up hitting the free-agency market after this season. Powell is an unrestricted free agency and Wiggins has a player option for next year. There's a better than 50 percent chance that the Heat could lose both; they'll certainly lose one.
Getting ahead of that and adding two first-round picks for their eventual pursuit of Giannis would be a brilliant move for the Heat. Quite frankly, it's not necessarily something they've done in the past. But their approach has to change now.
The Heat needs Pat Riley to be the godfather again. And when you're the godfather, tough decisions need to be made. If trading Wiggins and Powell now leads to Giannis in the future, this is a sacrifice that must be taken.