The Miami Heat, like other star-gazing teams around the NBA, are surely waiting at the ready for the first sign that Giannis Antetokounmpo is ready to split from the Milwaukee Bucks. While there's no evidence that we're nearing that point, there's also no reason to believe that patience is anything but a virtue for all of these fingers-crossed Giannis dreamers.
The latest trade dispatch from ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst didn't include direct chatter about Antetokounmpo wanting out, but one Western Conference scout questioned the sustainability of Milwaukee's supporting cast. Windhorst himself, meanwhile, noted that Antetokounmpo was always expected to take at least 20 to 25 games to fully assess his situation.
What does this actually mean? Well, if the Heat are still dreaming about Antetokounmpo—and they have been for a long time—they have no incentive to give that up. If anything, they might feel decent about their chances for waiting things out.
Milwaukee's roster raises more questions than answers.
The Bucks have been decent through the early portion of their schedule, which sounds like a reason for Antetokounmpo to consider sticking around.
The issue for Milwaukee, though, is that most of its own goodness directly stems from Antetokounmpo's individual greatness. If you're looking for reasons why this club just might be capable of seizing upon a wide-open Eastern Conference, they almost all revolve around his mere presence.
So, if he's the one making them a force, couldn't he have the same impact anywhere else? In a word—you freakin' bet.
Actually, other clubs could give him a lot more support. Because while he's playing at an MVP level, Milwaukee is still stuck on the "meh" tier: ninth in offense, 21st on defense, and 16th in net efficiency, per NBA.com. Efficiency-wise, it's been worse than a Miami team that lacks a centerpiece and has yet to receive a second from All-Star guard Tyler Herro.
And, by the way, the Bucks might be playing a touch above their heads. Two of their early victories were keyed by 25- and 32-point eruptions from Ryan Rollins, a fourth-year guard with a 6.1 career scoring average. Others have been helped by the unsustainably hot shooting from A.J. Green, who's hitting 57.1 percent of his shots, 52.9 percent of his threes, and literally all of his free throws.
Kyle Kuzma, meanwhile, looks even more disappointing now than he was after Milwaukee's desperate deadline deal for him last season. And Myles Turner has been a statistical mess (9.8 points on 40 percent shooting), which is a reminder that Milwaukee's latest attempt to give Antetokounmpo a co-star centers around a 29-year-old who isn't an actual star.
The Bucks have had a few subtle victories on the developmental front, but they're mostly relevant by sheer virtue of employing Antetokounmpo. If he ever wants more out of his employer, he'll probably need to search for the nearest exits.
Just because he hasn't done that so far hardly suggests he'll avoid the thought entirely going forward. And that possibility alone should be enough to keep the Heat's hopes alive. Because even after making an aggressive move to get him, they'd almost assuredly be able to offer him more support than he's receiving from the Bucks.