Giannis Antetokounmpo has been the No. 1 target mixed in with the Miami Heat and the trade rumors that continue to swirl around them. In turn, the Heat are also the No. 1 suitor for Giannis, according to a few sources within NBA reporting circles.
So, while Heat fans continue to sit on the edge of their seats in full anticipation mode waiting for the ball to drop, it's also possible that the ball on another major trade target has already dropped, and it's not getting picked back up.
The Heat don't have a plethora of significant trade assets to begin with unless they want to gut their team of all their young talent and stars — and they're not trading Bam Adebayo, so their young pieces are the real bait. That said, that other ball, Ja Morant, could be in the rear-view window already.
Heat have been unwilling to offer anything of high value in Ja Morant trade, per NBA insider
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, Miami is not sold on offering any of its young players as a sacrificial offering to acquire the Grizzlies' superstar in return. Those young players could range from Jaime Jaquez Jr., Pelle Larsson, and Nikola Jović to Kel'el Ware.
Ware is the one name that shouldn't draw any real surprise should the Heat include one of their young pieces in any trade, whether that's a trade for Morant or Giannis. However, Ware might be safe when it comes to Miami's pursuit of Morant if what Fischer reported on his YouTube show is accurate.
"The Heat have not been willing to give anything of real consequence or real value to the Grizzlies," Fischer said. "No one really has."
What this goes to show is that Morant's trade value can't be considerably high right now, which, for the Grizzlies, isn't great, because after the Jarren Jackson Jr. trade to the Utah Jazz this week, Memphis appears ready and willing to enter a full rebuild mode. Trading Morant away would only escalate a rebuild, whereas keeping him might hinder it.
Should Miami actually acquire Morant before Thursday's NBA trade deadline, it's likely to include a lower-value package with more picks involved than players. Then again, Pat Riley could surprise us all and do something drastic, especially if he loses out on Giannis.
Nevertheless, Heat fans are all but begging Riley to do something, because as the Heat stand right now, they're not competing for anything more than a first-round playoff series. But we also know from Riley and the Heat organization that they are not the type to remain in the status quo for long — it's just not in their DNA.