The Miami Heat under Pat Riley has shown an uncanny ability to reinvent itself, even as superstars like LeBron James have come and gone. Soon, the franchise may get the chance to do so again.
Player empowerment has defined the modern NBA era, and time after time superstars under contract have forced the hands of their respective teams resulting in blockbuster trades that reshape the face of the league on a more or less annual basis.
Next on that list of players could be Milwaukee Bucks star and two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who admitted on Wednesday, October 16, that this could be his last year with his current team.
“Yeah, if we don’t win a championship, I might get traded,” Antetokounmpo said, per NBC Sports. “This is the job we live. This is the world we’re living in. It’s everybody.”
Antetokounmpo implied that the Bucks might choose to trade him, though in all likelihood it would work out the other way. In that case, it’s worth considering where a player of his status — and still in his prime at 29 years old — would want to go, as well as which teams could accommodate that kind of blockbuster deal.
The Heat, located in one of the league’s most attractive markets with a long history of winning basketball under Riley and a player like Bam Adebayo to swap in trade have to be at, or at least near, the top of any list.
Bam Adebayo Among Best Trade Matches for Giannis Antetokounmpo
GettyCenter Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat.
Adebayo is an almost untouchable player considering his age, contract and importance to the future of the Heat franchise. However, getting in on a generational star like Antetokounmpo is the exception that proves that rule.
A big man who patrols the same general area of the floor as Antetokounmpo, Adebayo is a three-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA defender across his seven-year career. He has been a key piece in three runs to the Eastern Conference Finals and two NBA Finals appearances for Miami over the past five seasons.
Adebayo averaged 19.3 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game last season, according to Basketball Reference, to go along with 1.1 steals and 0.9 blocks. He recently signed a three-year extension worth $165 million that includes a player option for the 2028-29 campaign.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Dealing With Aging Bucks Roster
GettyMilwaukee Bucks center Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Both Adebayo’s credentials and his salary make him one of the few easy fits as a centerpiece in a hypothetical Antetokounmpo trade.
The Bucks center recently inked a three-year extension worth $175 million that includes a player option ahead of the 2027-28 season, which means he is locked down in Milwaukee for one less year than Adebayo is inextricably tied to Miami — save for any trade developments.
Anteokounmpo is unquestionably the better player, averaging 30.4 points, 11.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists last season along with 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks.
That would mean the Heat may have to include another of its quality young players in the deal, perhaps Tyler Herro or Jaime Jaquez, to get Milwaukee to bite. That, in turn, could mean more players coming to Miami from Milwaukee’s roster in order to make the money work. That may result in the Bucks saddling the Heat with at least one veteran salary of a player past his prime and/or with injury issues.
The Bucks would certainly want draft capital in return from the Heat as well, likely at least one first-round pick plus Adebayo just to start. Still, even such an expensive proposition is one Miami would have to consider if it meant securing a perennial MVP candidate just entering his 30s.
Friction has emerged between Heat star Jimmy Butler and the organization, as the top of the Eastern Conference continues to improve while Miami has remained mostly static over the past two offseasons.
The Heat feel primed to turn the page to a new chapter, and if Antetokounmpo becomes frustrated with an aging roster in Milwaukee that he believes may waste the remainder of his prime, the two-time MVP could give Miami the chance it’s been looking for.
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Heat Trade Pitch Swaps Bam Adebayo for 2-Time MVP