The Terry Rozier brutally bad trade from 2024 continues to haunt the Miami Heat to this day. And, interestingly enough, it could end up being one of the big reasons why their pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo ultimately fails.
The Heat are currently trying to find a path to acquire Giannis with essentially one hand tied behind their back. While they have some respectable young players they could start building an offer around, they do lack the vault of first-round picks that would make their path much simpler.
Because of that, you can't help but look back at their NBA Trade Deadline move to swap Kyle Lowry and a first-round pick to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Rozier with regret.
Especially if it ends up being the move that costs the Heat Giannis.
The Heat's biggest hurdle to a Giannis trade
Right now, the Heat only has two tradable first-round picks. Had they not made that trade for Rozier, they'd currently have four tradable first-round picks. And, to be quite honest, there's an argument to be made that Giannis would already be a member of the Heat.
It's not just that the Rozier experiment was an absolute disaster for the Heat on the court, but it's had an even bigger impact on how much flexibility this team has in trade talks.
There's always a chance that the Heat could trade one of their veterans (perhaps Andrew Wiggins or Norman Powell) for a 2027 first-round pick, which would then open them up to trade up to four first-rounders in any potential deal for Giannis, but it's certainly made their current pursuit that much more complicated.
At the time, there were many who believed trading a first-round pick for Rozier was the "right" move, especially considering that the front office was trying to maximize the Jimmy Butler window. However, it was far from the slam dunk decision that many supporters made it seem it was.
The front office was certainly trying to improve the team, but it was clearly a mistake. It will look even worse than it already does if it does become the blow to the team that ends up costing them Giannis.
Though they will never admit it, if Giannis is traded to the Golden State Warriors (or another team) that has the ability to put four first-round picks on the table, the Heat will be left playing the "what if" game in disgust.
It's just unfortunate that a short-sighted, reckless move for Rozier a couple of years ago could very well end up costing the Heat Giannis.