The Miami Heat hesitated when Ja Morant became available earlier this season, in large part because they didn’t want to ditch their goal of carving out massive cap space in 2027. Antetokounmpo is the kind of superstar who’d compel them to scrap those plans.
If Miami doesn’t land Giannis prior to the deadline, it needs to stay the course. Ironically, continuing to prioritize flexibility in the summer of 2027 could result in Antetokounmpo coming to South Beach after all.
Presumably, any team that trades for Giannis by Feb. 5 will have a very good idea of his willingness to sign an extension when he’s eligible on Oct. 1. Then again, the Toronto Raptors dealt for Kawhi Leonard in 2018 knowing he wouldn’t re-sign with them.
The rental netted them a title, Leonard left after that one season and nobody in Toronto felt an iota of regret.
That’s all to say, the Heat need not give up all hope of landing Giannis if they can’t trade for him this season. It’s possible he’ll be a free agent soon enough, and even if he re-ups with whichever team acquires him, plenty of other intriguing names could be on the market just as the Heat achieve maximum payroll flexibility in 2027, when Bam Adebayo and Nikola Jović are the only players on the current roster with guaranteed money on the books.
Patience could put the Heat in prime position to have their pick of Giannis, Nikola Jokić, Donovan Mitchell, Kyrie Irving and others in what looks like a loaded 2027 free-agent class.