There are four popular suitors for Giannis Antetokounmpo, including the Miami Heat. (Mandatory Credit: John Fisher/Getty Images)
Rubber has hit the road regarding Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future with the Milwaukee Bucks. ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania reported that, while the Bucks aren’t in any rush to trade the two-time MVP, they are finally listening to offers.
Later that day, four teams that Charania listed as potential suitors are the Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks.
We already went over the Heat’s best possible package here. But how does it compare to their counterparts? Let’s examine!
Miami Heat:
(Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford/Getty Images)
First-Round Picks: 2030, 2032
First-Round Pick Swaps: 2026, 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032 (can only swap ’26/’29/’31 if they trade ’30/’32 outright)
Young Assets (age-25 season or younger): Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Pelle Larsson, Nikola Jovic
Big contracts ($20M or more): Tyler Herro, Norman Powell, Andrew Wiggins
Other: Davion Mitchell
Skinny: Unless the Heat wait until draft night, their first tradable FRP won’t be for another half-decade, which stings if you’re comparing their best available package to the rest of the NBA (not just these three other suitors).
There could be some value in it with Antetokounmpo’s health age (he’ll be pushing 35-36). But the Heat don’t tank, and an Adebayo-Antetokounmpo frontcourt for the next half-decade is quite formidable.
Miami also has a pair of intriguing young pieces in Kel’el Ware and Jaime Jaquez Jr., in addition to Tyler Herro, Norman Powell and Andrew Wiggins.
New York Knicks:
(Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images)
First-Round Picks: 2026 (via Wizards; top-8 protected)
First-Round Pick Swaps: 2030, 2032
Young Assets: Miles McBride, Tyler Kolek
Big contracts: Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges
Other: Josh Hart, Mitchell Robinson, Guerschon Yabusele, Landry Shamet, Jordan Clarkson
Skinny: If the Bucks are looking for an intriguing young piece or a hefty amount of draft capital — well, the Knicks have neither.
They can only trade one first, which is top-8 protected by the tanking Wizards. They only have two swaps, and their best young player is Miles McBride. The Knicks’ only hope is to somehow trade either Towns or Bridges to another team, with those pieces being rerouted to Milwaukee.
And while I’m purely speculating, the likelihood of that doesn’t feel great.
Minnesota Timberwolves:
(Mandatory Credit: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
First-Round Picks: —
First-Round Pick Swaps: 2026 (top-8 protected; Jursazz), 2028, 2030 (top-1 protected; SAS)
Young Assets: Jaden McDaniels, Rob Dillingham, Terrence Shannon Jr., Joan Beringer, Bones Hyland
Big contracts: Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle, Naz Reid
Other: Donte DiVincenzo, Mike Conley
Skinny: The Timberwolves are also bereft of draft capital. But they have one of the best rising young stars among these teams in Jaden McDaniels, plus big contracts they can wield in Gobert, Randle and Reid. I wouldn’t be surprised if they made a move for Giannis, but I still don’t think they have quite enough draft capital to complete a trade right now.
Golden State Warriors:
(Mandatory Credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
First-Round Picks: 2026-29, 2031-32
First-Round Pick Swaps: All of those years
Young Assets: Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody, Will Richard, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Quinten Post
Big contracts ($20M or more): Jimmy Butler (injured), Draymond Green
Other: Buddy Hield, Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton
Skinny: Here’s the most dangerous team not named the Heat.
I do think the Kuminga/Butler smoke is slightly overblown; I don’t necessarily see why Milwaukee would want to take on those contracts for the greatest player in their franchise’s history. It would be different if Butler was healthy. He’s not, and his $$56.8 million, even as an expiring, would be difficult to move.
However, any Warriors pick beyond 2027 is quite valuable. Obviously, those picks lose a little value upon acquiring Antetokounmpo. But I also would trust Golden State’s front office far less than I would, say, Miami, to build a competent team around Antetokounmpo post-Curry. Those picks could have serious value, which makes it very intriguing for Milwaukee — even though this package likely makes it a long-er term build.
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How would I rank these teams, from the best packages to the worst, for Giannis Antetokounmpo?:
Miami Heat
Golden State Warriors
Minnesota Timberwolves
New York Knicks
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