The Miami Heat have a chance to land Giannis Antetokounmpo, but will they do what it may take?
John Jablonka (@simple_baller)
I agree that there isn’t a single player or group of players that are safe when it comes to Giannis Antetokounmpo. To me, it’s simple.
If you have a chance to get Giannis, you take it – no ifs or buts.
I understand the young core of Bam Adebayo, Duncan Robinson, Tyler Herro, Kendrick Nunn, and Derrick Jones Jr., plus the veterans in Jimmy Butler and Goran Dragic look enticing. However, no one in the league comes close to what Giannis brings to a team.
He is already a top-three player. He will be a back-to-back MVP, most likely a DPOY, and all while still being younger than Robinson.
Giannis has the potential and a very high chance of becoming an all-time great.
He already has an all-time great peak at only 25-years-old. Even if he doesn’t improve at all, he is still a top-three player, which is better than any ceiling of a player on the Heat.
The Heat would probably trade most of that young core, which includes Adebayo, Herro, and possibly more to match the money, but this depends on one thing – will Giannis re-sign?
If Giannis explicitly states that he will re-sign with the Heat, then the Bucks can take anyone they want. If he doesn’t say he will re-sign, then things would get more complicated.
The Heat may give up less then… or it just becomes a 50/50 gamble.
We already witnessed two teams trading for one-year rentals in Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Davis. The Toronto Raptors got a ring from it, but Leonard left anyway. The Los Angeles Lakers are contenders with a high chance that Davis will re-sign. So, it has worked in the past, but it is always a high-risk/high-reward type of scenario.
Now, I would trade anyone for Giannis regardless if he agrees to stay long-term or not. This is because the Miami Heat culture has a way of convincing players to stay. Also, you have to not that the Heat would be instant contenders with him and that plays a role in any decision.