The fact that the Miami Heat appear to be one of the few teams willing to go all-in on Giannis Antetokounmpo via trade this summer tells us just how much the team feels about the superstar forward.
But it also tells us what the rest of the league apparently feels about Giannis. And, at least up to now, the Heat appear to be one of the few teams in the league that still believe Giannis can carry a team to an NBA Championship.
The fact that the likes of the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets, or Boston Celtics don't appear willing to break up their team for Giannis says a lot. The Orlando Magic and Houston Rockets can possibly be thrown into that mix, too, depending on which reporting you tend to believe.
Giannis' shallow trade market is somewhat stunning
Nevertheless, the somewhat shallow trade market for Giannis does reveal a reality about his reputation across the league that's impossible to ignore. And, honestly, it is quite perplexing.
Sure, Giannis is coming off an injury-riddled season. Sure, it's been a while since he's helped propel the Milwaukee Bucks to a deep playoff run. Sure, he'll be 32 years old midway through this upcoming season. But he's still one of the best players in the league, coming off one of the most efficient seasons of his career.
And despite what the rest of the league may think about Giannis, the Heat doesn't fall into that bucket. They don't want to hear it. They believe Giannis is a 1A superstar, and appear to be bidding for him as if that's the case. But it is odd that few other teams are willing to go to those lengths.
In fairness, there may be unspoken context to this.
Could Giannis' agent be working behind the scenes to manipulate his trade market? If it is true that Giannis wants to stay in the Eastern Conference, that may be the case. Could he also be pushing his client to Miami? Again, nothing of that sort has really been reported, but that's another possibility that could be at play here.
Either way, unless teams are absolutely working in the shadows, it's jarring how unpopulated the trade market appears to be for Giannis at the moment.
Heat are more than willing to take the Giannis risk
But, as the saying goes, it only takes one. And, thankfully, the Heat appear to be more than willing to be that one. Whatever the reason may be, the Heat have stepped up as a team willing to take on that great risk with Giannis.
It'd be foolish to suggest that there isn't a great risk for the Heat in their pursuit of Giannis. Especially if they have to give up almost every last one of their assets for the superstar forward. Whether it's the age, injuries, or overall fit next to Bam, the Heat would certainly be taking a big swing here with such a move.
But this is something the Heat has consistently done, and, perhaps most importantly, something they've consistently been successful with.
And that, above all, may be the ultimate reason why the Heat may be more willing to take the chance on Giannis than perhaps other teams may be.
Even though that doesn't guarantee that they'll land Giannis by any means, it certainly does suggest that they may have a very good chance of doing so. Honestly, they might deserve him because of it.
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