The Miami Heat have been consistently linked to a potential Giannis Antetokounmpo trade ahead of Thursday’s deadline if the Milwaukee Bucks ultimately move their superstar forward.
But the team could also be in the running for Memphis Grizzlies’ guard Ja Morant.
According to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, “The former All-Star point guard has made it clear he would be amenable to a relocation to the Heat, and he had had been linked to considerable Heat speculation before the NBA went on hold while the Bucks decide what to do with Antetokounmpo. An NBA source told the Sun Sentinel on Tuesday that he believes the Heat could be active on both the Antetokounmpo and Morant fronts ahead of the trade deadline, with decisions on the two not being mutually exclusive.”
NBA insider Marc Stein added on The ALL NBA Podcast that the Giannis reportedly prefers to be traded to the Heat or Minnesota Timberwolves, with questions about whether he’s still interested in potentially being dealt to the Golden State Warriors.
The Knicks also reportedly “appeal” to Giannis, per Stein, noting the pull of Madison Square Garden and Knicks fans—alongside the possibility of ending the organization’s long title drought—are factors working in New York’s favor.
Acquiring either Giannis or Morant won’t come without risks.
For Antetokounmpo, it’s going to be an expensive acquisition, and there’s always the risk that you’re paying premium prices for a 31-year-old player whose prime years may be dwindling given how much of his game is predicated on explosiveness and physicality. The counterpoint, of course, is that a healthy Giannis is one of the most impactful players in the sport and instantly transforms a team’s title odds.
The risks with Morant are more pronounced. His off-court issues in the past and more recent issues with the Memphis coaching staff are concerns, as is a pretty lengthy injury history. Morant’s game is far more reliant on his elite athleticism than even Giannis, whose unique size and length aids him, and if injuries rob him of that advantage his upside will diminish immensely.
For a team like the Heat, however, the risk on Giannis is well worth it. Miami currently exists in NBA purgatory—not good enough to be a true contender, but just good enough to sneak into the Play-In Tournament and miss out on the top lottery odds that could land them a young superstar.
The risk on Morant may not be, however.
There’s a very real question about whether Morant would fit into the much-discussed Heat culture, and even if he did, it’s fair to question how much he would raise Miami’s ceiling. But at some point the Heat are going to need to make a splash, and landing Morant would certainly qualify.