The moment the Miami Heat have been waiting for has finally arrived, which makes the team's decision to "pass" on Ja Morant much more understandable. Giannis Antetokounmpo has essentially asked for a trade, and this is the Heat's time to pounce.
Since the Morant trade whispers began a couple of weeks ago, the Heat were a natural potential landing spot. That speculation grew only more when it was reported that Morant would welcome a trade to Miami.
Thinking back, it would've been easy for the Heat to get sidetracked by Morant. However, the fact that Giannis is officially on the trade block vindicates the Heat's front office decision not to pursue Morant.
It would've been a shame to hear that the Heat burned assets on a pursuit for Morant, only to see Giannis ask out a couple of weeks later. In short, the Heat were right to remain patient for this possibility.
The Heat's priority is clearly Giannis Antetokounmpo
Could that change if Giannis is traded elsewhere before the NBA Trade Deadline? Sure. However, at least for now, the Heat needs to be laser-focused on Giannis. If there's even a shot that the Heat could have the best trade offer for Giannis now, that needs to be their priority.
Mind you, that will be easier said than done, but the Heat effectively has one week to figure it out.
There's certainly work to be done before the Heat has an offer that the Bucks would even consider accepting for Giannis. But the fact that this pipe dream is now attainable for the Heat should change everything for this franchise.
The Heat's biggest obstacle to a Giannis trade
If there's anything that's possibly standing in the way of a Giannis trade, it's their lack of tradable draft picks. If the Heat had four tradeable first-round picks right now, a deal might already be submitted. However, they only currently have two.
I'd imagine that's the one thing the team is scrambling to figure out. That could be the one thing that could keep the Heat from getting a deal done for Giannis before the trade deadline.
Sure, the Heat can hope the Bucks take this Giannis bidding war into the offseason when Miami has more to offer, but that also opens the door to more competition.
Right now, the Heat needs to work fast. Because their best chance to land Giannis may be within the next week.
If the Heat can find a way to add an additional first-round pick or two before the deadline, Miami would have to love its chances to pry Giannis away from Milwaukee.
And if the Heat can pull this off, it's going to make the decision to hold off on Morant look that much more brilliant.