The long-running saga between the Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo has finally come to an end. A departure for Giannis had loomed as imminent for over a year in the NBA, fueled by a storm of public statements, league-wide rumors, and leaked preferred destinations. Ultimately, the Miami Heat will secure his services.
According to Shams Charania, the Bucks are trading Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to the Miami Heat in exchange for Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, three first-round picks (including the No. 13 pick), one pick swap, and one second-round pick. It represents a fair price for the former MVP and NBA Champion.
Projected Miami Heat starting lineup
With this blockbuster trade finalized, the new-look Miami team is set to field a formidable starting five. The projected lineup features:
Tyler Herro during a Miami Heat match.
- PG: Davion Mitchell
- SG: Norman Powell
- SF: Andrew Wiggins
- PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo
- C: Bam Adebayo
Bucks predicted starting five
- PG: Tyler Herro
- SG: Ryan Rollins
- SF: Kyle Kuzma
- PF: Jaime Jaquez
- C: Myles Turner
Celtics left empty-handed
The Miami Heat won the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes on Monday night in a blockbuster trade with the Milwaukee Bucks, leaving the Boston Celtics on the outside looking in.
Why didn’t the Celtics win the deal? Well, it just sounds like Miami offered more for Giannis. Shams Charania detailed Boston’s trade package, which included Jaylen Brown and two first-round picks. Miami threw in three first-round picks along with a bevy of impact players, which looks to have made the Heat’s offer more competitive.
It is still surprising that the Celtics did not hesitate to offer Jaylen Brown, the very player who kept them alive and carried them to the playoffs in a season where many had written them off due to Jayson Tatum’s injury. But Brown was there, and some even believed he deserved MVP recognition for his efforts.
Expectations for the Heat
The Heat, alongside Pat Riley, want to get back to competing immediately. It is tough to move on from Tyler Herro, who is an All-Star and was arguably above Bam Adebayo in terms of overall team impact. However, the Miami squad now has a highly promising roster and it will clearly be considered a legitimate contender with that explosive duo of Bam and Giannis.
