Former Miami Heat guard Gary Payton revealed a harsh truth regarding the Miami Heat’s pursuit for Giannis Antetokounmpo. (Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images)
As we inch closer to summertime, it appears that the Milwaukee Bucks trading Giannis Antetokounmpo this summer is a when, not if. And, in a perfect world, the organization would preferably like a deal done by the 2026 NBA Draft, which begins June 23.
The Miami Heat’s worst-kept secret is that they will be pushing for Antetokounmpo — hard. They have pursued the Bucks’ two-time MVP for over a half-decade, and Heat president Pat Riley said during his end-of-season press conference that he’s going to be “aggressive as hell” to improve the team.
But do the Heat have the means to accomplish that? Former Heat guard Gary Payton does not believe so.
“I wouldn’t want to lose what they have with the guys that they got,” Payton said, according to DJ Saddiqi. “They’re gonna have to give either Bam (Adebayo) up, and then one of the other shooters, they would have to give one of them up. They have to give somebody up. So then you’re going to build around one person. I don’t know how that’ll work.
“You’re gonna have to give up Herro, you’re gonna have to give up Bam, you’re gonna have to give up somebody. “Wiggins is on there too. You gotta understand you gotta give up some of these players or you got to give up one or two of them. That’s what I’m saying. … I don’t really think that’s going to be a sure championship. I think they’ll get better, but I don’t think they’ll be. It depends on who’ll be around them.”
Heat need a reset, but at what cost?
Obviously, the prospects of acquiring Antetokounmpo are a tantalizing one. He’s still an MVP-caliber player when he’s healthy.
However, the Heat are in a unique position. They need a superstar to dig themselves out of the self-inflicted grave they dug. But they’re more than just an Antetokounmpo away from competing with, say, San Antonio and Oklahoma City, the two prohibitive title favorites out West.
To acquire Antetokounmpo, it’s going to have to be uncomfortable. But how uncomfortable are the Heat willing to get — and, most importantly, how uncomfortable should they get?! There are a few teams that can give up a haul and still have enough to build a contender around Antetokounmpo by virtue of existing talent, free agency or draft capital.
You could argue the Heat don’t quite have that luxury, especially if it was forced to give up all three of their tradable first-round picks plus a combination of Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr. or Pelle Larsson.
Obviously, at the end of the day, you’re going to have to give something to give up something. But I’m curious to see where the line in the sand is for the Heat brass.
Heck, given the state of affairs, there may not be one.
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