Giannis Antetokounmpo or not, the Miami Heat may be inching closer to making an NBA Trade Deadline move (or moves) that will help them "fortify their asset war chest." According to this recent report from Kelly Ilko, the hope is that such a move would help Miami position itself to land a superstar in the near future.
Honestly, this is a move (or pivot) that many in the fanbase have been asking for. In fact, there's a strong argument to be made that these types of smaller-scale moves should've been in motion months ago.
Nevertheless, with less than two weeks left until the NBA Trade Deadline, it's still great that the front office seems to be realizing that now. If the Heat is serious about a potential pursuit of Giannis, whether it's up to the deadline or in the offseason, it is of the utmost importance that all hands are on deck.
The Heat need to load up on assets
And that would mean adding as many assets (draft capital) as they can before Giannis (or another superstar) officially hits the trade block.
As it currently stands, the Heat only has two tradable first-round picks that they can include in an offer for Giannis (or any other superstar, for that matter). If they were to make a smaller-scale deadline move and net another first-round pick (by moving Andrew Wiggins, Norman Powell, or Tyler Herro), that would significantly alter their chances of making an even bigger move now.
Plus, it would give the Heat even more flexibility if the Milwaukee Bucks wait to trade Giannis until the summer.
Either way, it's a win-win for the Heat.
Well, a big-picture win-win. I do suppose that Miami would suffer some this season. Trading any veteran of substance would certainly hurt the Heat's chances of making the playoffs. But I think that's a small sacrifice that this front office should be willing to take if it gives them a better shot at a superstar in the near future.
After all, even in a best-case scenario for this season, the Heat aren't likely to make much noise in the Eastern Conference. They're, at best, a team that can crawl out of the Play-In Tournament. I don't think anyone would consider them a favorite in any first-round playoff series.
Plus, this organization has consistently taken pride in being a championship-or-bust franchise. That's suddenly going to change? I can't imagine that it will. And it shouldn't.
If the Heat need to take a small step back to potentially take a significant one forward, that's a sacrifice that they should 100 percent be willing to make. And I'm sure fans will be happy to hear that it does seem as if the front office may finally be realizing that.