The Miami Heat can be both excited about their young core, but also not opposed to including them in a trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo. And that's the honest reality that Heat beat writer Ira Winderman just outlined perfectly.
When asked what players he thought the Heat would prioritize keeping out of a deal for Giannis, Winderman answered by saying the quiet part out loud about the young core as the team prepares to pursue the superstar forward.
"From a Heat perspective, I doubt they would allow the likes of Pelle Larsson, Kasparas Jakucionis or Jaime Jaquez Jr. get in the way of closing a deal for a superstar (Kel’el Ware is in a bit of a different class, considering the Heat’s such consternation when it came to a possible Kevin Durant deal with the Suns)."
The Heat can't hold anything back in trade talks for Giannis
But even admitting that Ware is in a different class and the team's best young asset, he'd almost certainly have to be the centerpiece of a trade. And the Heat likely knows that.
It's one thing to keep Ware out of trade talks for KD last summer, but it'd be an entirely different level of malpractice to do the same in the Heat's pursuit of Giannis this offseason.
For as talented as the Heat believes Ware is, Miami knows that if they're going to be able to land a star player like Giannis, they're going to have to give up a lot. And, short of Bam Adebayo, there's nothing on the Heat's roster that should be considered off-limits in trade talks.
That's not necessarily a knock on any player on the team's roster. It's just the situation of where things currently stand for the Heat heading into one of the most important offseasons in recent history.
The Heat want to make the quick move back to contention
If the Heat wants to take an expedited path back to contention, they have to be willing to take some gambles. In this case, it's to trade the heart of their young ocre (and likely all their future first-round picks) for a player that has the talent to completely revolutionize the franchise.
This is the type of trade that the Heat has been so successful in making in the past. That's why it's difficult to imagine that they would suddenly shy away from it now.
In many ways, the Heat has been buying its time for this moment. It'd be shocking to see them hold anything back now. Giannis is the player the Heat has been eyeing for quite some time. Now that he's available, don't expect the Heat to blow it all up because of a young player.
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