The Miami Heat will be the biggest fans of the New York Knicks heading into the NBA Playoffs, or at least they should be. Because the further the Knicks go in the playoffs, the closer they'll think they are to a championship.
And if the Knicks feel they're close, the need to make a complete roster-altering move would be unnecessary this offseason. In other words, they'd be much less likely to pursue a trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
If the Knicks are not serious players in the Giannis sweepstakes, it would create a big opening for the Heat to seal the deal this time around.
The Knicks are the Heat's biggest threat to Giannis
Realistically speaking, it's the Knicks that are going to emerge as the biggest threat to the Heat's plans of landing Giannis. Looking at the landscape of the league, while also reading the tea leaves, the Heat and Knicks are going to be the biggest attractions to Giannis.
Of course, the only problem with that is there's reason to believe that New York is going to be considered a heavy favorite to pull off a deal for Giannis this summer. Reportedly, Giannis would really love to be a Knick.
In the past, the Knicks haven't pursued Giannis that seriously. However, that could seemingly change if the Knicks' season ends prematurely in the postseason. Theoretically, a big part of the reason why the Knicks haven't been willing to put everything on the table for Giannis is that they believe they're close to breaking through without blowing up their roster for the superstar forward.
And they may have had a point in the past.
Last season, the Knicks lost in the conference finals to the Indiana Pacers. The hope heading into this season was that they could finally make that leap. Despite some up-and-down play this year, the Knicks are the third seed heading into the NBA Playoffs and will have a shot to make another deep run.
If they don't, though, shaking up the DNA of their roster could be be back on that table this summer.
The Heat are hoping for a big offseason, punctuated by Giannis
That possibility would greatly threaten the Heat's chances of meeting their own lofty offseason expectations.
This summer is shaping up to be an incredibly important one for the Heat. As they look to break out of their recent funk, the Heat almost have to hit on a star player to have any shot of doing so. At the top of their list is Giannis.
However, even though the Heat may have the assets to pull off a move for the superstar this time around, they're going to need some luck too. And part of that luck could involve a team like the Knicks deciding not to get involved in the bidding war.
New York making a deep run, perhaps even to the NBA Finals, over the next few months would likely help make that happen.
Even though most would never admit it, there has to be a part of every Heat fan that is quietly rooting for the Knicks as the NBA Playoffs begin. And if it could help them land Giannis, how could you blame them?
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