According to Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson, the Miami Heat reportedly have some potential framework for their Giannis Antetokounmpo offer.
(Photo via Getty Images)
The 2026 NBA trade deadline week has officially arrived, as the Thursday February 5 deadline is now just three days away.
This is often considered the best time of the season to many NBA fans, and the entire league continues to be on standby as they await the future destination of top-three talent Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is reportedly “ready for a new home.”
It’s been reported by several sources that the Milwaukee Bucks are finally open to fielding offers for the former two-time MVP. Though it’s not guaranteed Antetokounmpo is traded by Thursday (could be pushed to the offseason if no team meets the Bucks asking price), it is still a very high possibility.
Delaying such a move would have contract extension implications on Antetokounmpo and only make his Bucks situation this season more awkward. As ESPN’s Shams Charania reported, the four aggressive suitors for his services are the Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks.
Charania also reported that Milwaukee is seeking “blue-chip young talent and/or a surplus of draft picks” in return here. The Wolves and Knicks have little-to-no young talent and draft picks whatsoever, and would need to get very creative with potential multi-team deals to get something done. As for Miami, they have the assets to meet those demands.
Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson reported earlier on Monday that there have been “internal” discussions on some potential framework the Heat are willing to offer in a package for Antetokounmpo.
Miami’s Giannis offer, per Barry Jackson:
Tyler Herro
Kel’el Ware
Terry Rozier’s expiring contract
Another young player or more
2030 First-Round draft pick
2032 First-Round draft pick
Possibly pick-swaps in 2026, 2029 and 2031
In regards to “another young player or more” that Jackson stated, that could include any or all of Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, Nikola Jovic and Pelle Larsson.
Heat’s Simone Fontecchio or Andrew Wiggins could also make it work financially if the Bucks aren’t interested in Terry Rozier’s expiring salary. Additionally, both those players could still be shopped in other deals in hopes of getting more draft capital to offer Milwaukee. Miami is operating under the assumption they could utilize Rozier’s contract in a trade despite being under legal investigation with his gambling scandal.
Ideally, the Heat could sport an elite two-way starting unit of Davion Mitchell, All-Star Norman Powell, Andrew Wiggins, Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo when it’s all said and done.
Antetokounmpo has been a coveted target for the Heat’s front office for years now. In fact, he is one of the very, very few players in the entire association that Pat Riley and staff are reportedly willing to go all-in for. Fans have seen trade opportunities end in disappointment time after time ever since the start of this decade— most recently with showing reluctance to put all their chips on the table for a 37-year-old Kevin Durant this past summer.
But this is different. This is a top-three player in his prime years capable of catapulting any well structured organization like Miami into instant championship contention in a wide open Eastern Conference. This is the whale that Riley has been patient for all this time.
Will it be enough? We could be just days away from finding out.
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