The Milwaukee Bucks finally traded Giannis Antetokounmpo for a deep trade package of young talents and draft picks from the Miami Heat. Noteworthy players Tyler Herro and Kel’el Ware were obvious names that needed to be in the trade. However, Miami also ultimately added Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kasparas Jakucionis to sweeten the plot, along with many draft picks and swaps.
Heat beat writer Ira Winderman revealed that the Heat tried to keep Jakucionis as a younger name with upside, via the Sun Sentinel:
“Multiple NBA sources confirmed to the Sun Sentinel that an earlier construct of the Heat’s proposal for Antetokounmpo included Davion Mitchell instead of Kasparas Jakucionis. The Bucks, however, insisted on the youthful promise and rookie-scale contract of Jakucionis.
With Jakucionis earning $3.8 million next season and Mitchell $12.4 million, the inclusion of Mitchell in place of Jakucionois could have prevented the Heat from winding up hard capped. Mitchell has only the 2026-27 season remaining on his contract.”
Miami tried to add starting point guard Davion Mitchell to the trade package as the fourth player, but Milwaukee instead wanted Jakucionis. The Bucks prioritized Jakucionis’s cheaper contract and general upside since he only has one year of experience with lots of time left to develop.
Why Miami Heat Wanted To Keep Kasparas Jakucionis
Similar reasons exist for Miami valuing Jakucionis in the way that Milwaukee does, but they felt even more attached to the prospect. Players like Ware and Jaquez have been very good in recent years to a point where they were clearly the top young prospects the Heat could offer for Giannis.
However, Jakucionis has barely done much in the league and didn’t look great in his limited minutes. Miami selected him 20th overall in last year’s draft, but he was considered one of the later picks to have a higher upside with the right development.
The Heat hoped to see him progress more before pulling the trigger on a trade involving him. Unfortunately, the price was set for Miami to add a new franchise superstar in Antetokounmpo. One extra positive is that losing four players meant that the Heat were able to get Bobby Portis back too as another rotation player off the bench.
Milwaukee Loved Miami Heat’s Trade Versatility
The big trade finally took place this week, but Miami landing Giannis wasn’t a foregone conclusion. Various reports made the Boston Celtics look like the new favorites since the Bucks could have received former NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown.
The Heat’s package ended up winning out due to the plethora of assets for Milwaukee to invest in over just one great player. An established former All-Star like Herro, two proven young prospects, a second-year player with upside, and a handful of draft picks won over the Bucks.
Miami likely gave up on keeping Jakucionis once they realized Milwaukee held the leverage of choosing between them and Boston. The trade will be worth it only if the Heat are once again legitimate NBA Championship contenders with deep playoff runs in the Antetokounmpo era.
Heat Originally Tried To Keep One Major Player In Giannis Trade