The Miami Heat may have the best active offer on the table for Giannis Antetokounmpo, but they might need to sell the superstar forward on how they'll build a contender around him.
According to NBA insider Sam Amick, Giannis does have some questions about what the Heat would have left on their roster after a blockbuster trade with Milwaukee.
“The noise is tied to Miami but there’s also intel discussion that Giannis has questions about what that Miami roster would look like on the other side of a deal. You don’t want to gut your roster and go to the place you’re excited to be in and have a hard time contending for a championship”
At this point, there's reason to believe that could be the final hurdle the Heat needs to cross before they emerge as the true favorites in the Giannis sweepstakes.
The Heat need to sell Giannis on a future in Miami
But, unfortunately, that might be easier said than done. Because, at least on paper, there are some natural questions about how the Heat are going to build around Giannis if they end up gutting their roster with an offer.
Especially with what the rumored offer would theoretically be for Giannis, the Heat will be left with so few pieces after such a move. At best, the Heat will be left with Bam Adebayo, Dru Smith, Andrew Wiggins (depending on his player option decision), Norman Powell (depending on his free agency decision, Davion Mitchell, and maybe one of Kasparas Jakucionis, Pelle Larsson, or Nikola Jovic.
While that may not seem as bad as some think it would be, it certainly does leave the Heat with plenty of work to do beyond a trade for Giannis.
The Heat could have a second-round pick in this year's draft, unless it's used in an offer for Giannis, and may have a non-taxpayer mid-level exception to use this offseason, too. That will help the Heat's post-Giannis plan, but it certainly doesn't answer every question and concern Giannis may have.
If there's anything working in the Heat's favor, it's the fact that Bam and Giannis share an agent. And if there's any calming of the fears that Giannis needs, that can be conveyed through the shared agent without, technically, falling into the category of collusion.
And, with every new report, that seems to be a point of emphasis at this point for the Heat.
In the end, whether Giannis gets traded to the Heat or not could very well come down to whether they can sell the superstar forward on a future in Miami. Will he get to a point where he'd be comfortable in trusting the Heat's front office to build around him?
That might be the 100 million dollar question at this point in the Giannis saga.
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