The Golden State Warriors' seemingly pivoting away from their Giannis Antetokounmpo pursuit likely means the Miami Heat are in the driver's seat for the superstar forward. Of course, that's assuming the Milwaukee Bucks are even going to move him by the NBA Trade Deadline.
With less than 24 hours until the deadline, that's what the Heat is racing against now. Because as of right now, it does feel as if the Bucks are either going to trade Giannis to the Heat (or the Minnesota Timberwolves), or they're going to take this bidding war into the offseason.
And in an old-fashioned game of chicken, it's tough to predict how this is all going to end for the Heat, Giannis, and the Bucks. But one thing is for sure: With the Warriors out of the picture, the Heat could be considered the leaders in the clubhouse for Giannis if he ultimately gets moved by the deadline.
Will the Bucks trade Giannis?
All of this is impossible to predict, especially considering we don't know exactly what is taking place behind the scenes in Milwaukee or Miami. But if there's even a small chance that the Bucks could still trade Giannis, the Heat are going to keep their focus there.
Of note, after the Warriors traded Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Kristaps Porzingis, it was reported that this deal was made because they weren't confident that the Bucks were going to trade Giannis at all.
At least for now, the Heat and the Wolves have yet to make a pivot of their own.
That doesn't mean that it won't eventually happen the closer we get to the trade deadline, but it is of note that, at least for now, the Heat (and Wolves) are holding the line.
Could that mean that the Heat and Wolves were having different types of conversations than the Warriors were? Sure. It could also mean that the Warriors didn't like their chances of landing Giannis in the first place, so they just decided to pivot and spin it this way.
Either way, it's certainly going to be an interesting pivot to look back on, no matter what happens at the trade deadline with Giannis.
While there remains plenty of uncertainty as we inch closer to the NBA Trade Deadline, the Heat still feels they're in it. And with the Warriors bowing out, the Heat's chances did increase a bit more if this is a move that ends up getting made before the deadline.