If the Miami Heat are going to land Giannis Antetokounmpo this offseason, they're going to need all hands on deck. That may even have to include the efforts of former Miami Heat legends. And Goran Dragic seems to be taking that initiative, seemingly doing his job in trying to recruit Giannis down south.
On the debut episode of Dragic's podcast, the former Heat guard kind of brought up the idea of Giannis making the move to Miami (ever so subtly). In response, Giannis didn't exactly shut the possibility down, noting that Miami is a "beautiful city."
"Can I say something, Dragic asked. "You're 31 years old, so you need to think about your knees, you know, to be loose. So you need warm climate, man."
Giannis responded: "Hey, Miami's not a bad place, man. Beautiful, beautiful city, beautiful city. Beautiful city, believe it or not, believe it or not."
If Dragic is doing this publicly, you can only imagine the level of pitching he may be doing once the cameras shut off. Either way, I can't imagine it would hurt the Heat.
The Heat's race for Giannis Antetokounmpo has officially begun
As the NBA Playoffs are officially set to begin, the Heat are not focused on winning a championship over the next few months. Instead, the Heat are exploring a pathway to finally prying Giannis out of Milwaukee.
At least for the next few months, that's going to be their championship.
Miami knows it won't be easy, but this is the type of once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that the Heat can't pass up on. Considering they've been building to this moment for years, there's a lot at stake for this franchise this summer.
Even though they will never admit it, this offseason is being built up as a star-or-die situation. At the top of their wishlist of stars they could target is Giannis. He may not be the only star player that the Heat ends up pursuing, but he'll certainly be at the top.
The Heat's future gets bleak if they falter this offseason
And if the Heat can't close the deal this time around, it will certainly add a lot more uncertainty to a future that already seems quite blurry for the franchise.
There's so much at stake this offseason, and that can be felt - from the fan base to the front office. There's a tangible feel of desperation around this organization. After this season, that should not come off as a huge surprise.
Because of that, the Heat can't leave no stone unturned this summer. That's exactly what they plan to do.
A little help from the likes of Dragic behind the scenes is not completely necessary; at this point, the Heat will take it. They could use any ounce of help, no matter where it comes from.
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