If the Miami Heat is going to have a realistic opportunity to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, they're going to need to find a way to add an additional first-round pick or two. That's the clearest pathway that the Heat has to pulling off the blockbuster move.
The good news for the Heat is that they may have the exact player they'll need to pull off such a move before putting their best Giannis trade offer on the table.
Enter Andrew Wiggins.
Wiggins has already found his name in trade discussions even before the Giannis noise hit an all-time high. According to recent reporting, Wiggins has been linked to the Golden State Warriors in a potential Jonathan Kuminga swap with the Heat.
Of course, the big question (or hold up) would be contingent on whether Miami could pry a first-round pick away from the Warriors. If they can, that may be all the Heat needs to truly agree to a deal.
Perhaps more importantly, it could also be a move that unlocks the Heat's best offer for Giannis.
But it won't be that simple. After all, why would the Warriors giftwrap the Heat a first-round pick at this point, especially considering the two teams are going to be bidding against each other in a pursuit of Giannis?
In that point of view, Miami may have to explore another option on the Wiggins front if it wants to secure a first-round pick to include in a bigger deal for Giannis.
The Heat desperately need to add a first-round pick to their Giannis offer
Warriors included or not, as things currently stand, the Heat only has two tradable first-round picks. If they want to put a competitive (and serious) offer for Giannis on the table, Miami needs to find an avenue to acquire more draft picks. Even if it's just one.
An offer of Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, insert Jaime Jaquez Jr., or Nikola Jovic, Kasparas Jakucionis, and two first-round picks isn't going to cut it for Giannis. It probably won't even be the best offer on the table for the Milwaukee Bucks.
However, if the Heat could find a way to throw in another first-round pick, or two, it's a completely different conversation.
In the end, the Heat's chances of landing Giannis could very well come down to whether or not they're able to string in a third or fourth team into a deal to acquire additional draft capital. In many ways, that's the clearest path the Heat has to Giannis ahead of the trade deadline.