Live Heat updates/Giannis tracker: Trade official; Giannis talks; Herro says thank you
.JPG "Heat president Pat Riley, reacts prior to responding to a question during his season-ending press conference at Kaseya Center on April 27, 2026, in Miami.")
Welcome to NBA signing day!
With the NBA’s free agency moratorium ending today at 12:01 p.m., the Heat’s trade for two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and the free-agent signing of three-point shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr. can soon become official.
Please keep checking back throughout the day. We’ll add updates on the top.
Riley on Hardaway
Here’s what Pat Riley said about Tim Hardaway Jr. after his signing became official at 8 p.m. EST: “Hardaway is obviously a great name around here,” said HEAT President Pat Riley. “Tim Jr. is one of the most explosive shooters in the league and a player we have long coveted. We are thrilled to finally be able to bring him home.”
He will wear No. 10, his dad’s old Heat jersey number, after his father relented.
Jersey change
Hours after the Heat began selling Giannis No. 34 jerseys, the Heat learned that their new star will wear No. 7 instead. Here’s how the Heat is managing the issue for fans who already bought the No. 34 jersey, and others.
Wiggins extension official
Veteran forward Andrew Wiggins’ two-year extension worth $34 million also became official on Monday. Wiggins opted in to his $30.2 million player option in his contract for this upcoming season before agreeing to the two-year extension with the Heat.
“Andrew Wiggins has proven to us that he is the quintessential small forward who fits perfectly with this roster,” Heat president Pat Riley said in a statement. “We feel he will be a critical part of what we’re trying to achieve with this team going forward and we feel fortunate that we were able to extend him.”
While Wiggins’ decision to opt in and agree to a two-year extension with the Heat doesn’t lower his cap hit for this upcoming season, he will take a sizable pay cut in the second and third seasons of the deal with a projected $16.5 million salary for the 2027-28 season and a $17.5 million salary for the 2028-29 season to give the Heat more flexibility to build around Giannis Antetokounmpo in future summers. Wiggins’ deal also includes a player option in the final year (2028-29).
Wiggins, 31, is projected to again be a Heat starter this season.
In Wiggins’ first full season with the Heat after the Golden State Warriors dealt him to Miami as part of the Jimmy Butler trade midway through the 2024-25 season, Wiggins averaged 15.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.1 steals and one block per game while shooting 47.5% from the field and 41.4% on 4.9 three-point attempts per game in a starting role last season.
DeRozan update
The Sacramento Kings have agreed to a buyout with Demar DeRozan, but as of mid afternoon Monday, there had been no contact yet between the former All Star forward and the Heat, according to a source.
Miami would be among teams of interest to DeRozan, a source said.
Miami’s wing options now include - among others - DeRozan, Bradley Beal and Gary Trent Jr. Or the Heat simply could wait on LeBron James’ decision before deciding what wing player to pursue. I
We expect the Heat to try to add another wing; it’s tough call is whether to pounce on one of these players or wait to see if a surprise name shakes free. The Mavericks -- trying to be playoff contender- don’t need to buyout Klay, obvously. And with DeRozan helping ease Kings’ apron issues, they don’t necessarily need to waive and stretch Zach LaVine, who will would a Heat need for a starting shooting guard.
Another option: Kentavious Caldwell Pope, a Miami has liked in the past and could come up again if he and Grizzlies part ways. He would fill their goal of adding wing length, size (6-5) and a defensive bent, but his offense has declined the past two years. Last season, he averaged 8.4 points and shot 31.6 percent on threes.
Herro says bye
Shortly after the trade became official on Monday, guard Tyler Herro thanked Miami and the Heat after spending the first seven seasons of his NBA career with the organization.
On X, Herro posted this long farewell message dedicated to the city of Miami and the Heat organization:
“Seven years.
It’s hard to put into words what this city has meant to me.
“When Miami drafted a 19-year-old kid out of Kentucky, they believed in me before I’d proven anything. Together, we experienced just about everything this game has to offer.
“Two trips to the Finals. Deep playoff runs. Becoming an All-Star. The highest highs, the toughest moments, and every lesson in between.
“Through every challenge, every expectation, every rumor, and every setback, I always believed in one thing: put your head down, go to work, and represent the name on the front of the jersey the right way. Every time I stepped on the floor, my goal was to help bring another championship to Miami.
“This city gave me more than a basketball career.
“It gave me a place to grow up.
“I became a man here. I became a father here. I built lifelong relationships here.
“Miami became home.
To Spo, Pat, Micky, the entire organization, my teammates, the coaches, trainers, equipment staff, arena staff, and everyone who poured into me over the last seven years—thank you. Thank you for believing in me, pushing me, challenging me, and helping shape the player and person I’ve become.
“And to the fans…
“Thank you for riding with me.
“Through every big shot, every playoff run, every injury, every rumor, and every season—you showed me love I’ll never forget. Whether you cheered for me in the arena, wore my jersey, or simply believed in me, I felt it. I’ll always be grateful for that support.
“As excited as I am for this next chapter back home in Milwaukee, a part of me will always belong to Miami.
“Miami didn’t just shape my career.
“It shaped my life.
“Thank you for everything.
— Tyler”
Giannis interview
In an interview taped before the trade was announced but released on YouTube on Monday afternoon, Giannis reflected on his time with the Bucks (which included the 2021 NBA championship) and his decision to play elsewhere in an introspective conversation with Jim Paschke, who was the Bucks’ play-by-play voice until his retirement in 2021:
“I’m scared of change. I’m scared the grass is not always greener. People love me here. I’m scared I might never find that ever again.
“But I wake up every day, and take showers at night, and I think maybe I wait too long. I see guys playing deep into the playoffs and I think ‘ok, maybe if I switch teams and go somewhere else and have a better opportunity I can play deep into the playoffs and go chase another championship’ because I really want that. I’m scared that maybe when I don’t take that decision I’m going to be 37/38 hopefully and I’m retiring and say ‘why didn’t you take that risk?’ It’s a risk... That would be awesome if I could go and play and maybe come back.”
He said “I believe I’m capable of doing it. If it doesn’t happen,. I won’t look back and say I failed.”
He said he slowly came to the “realization” that his time in Milwaukee needed to end.
“The whole journey has been beautiful,” Antetokoumpo said in the reflective interview, which did not mention the Heat.
Heat social media roll-out
Here’s how the Heat has been announcing the trade with a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter):
The team initially posted video of a sports car (with an FR34K license plate) being driven to Kaseya Center.
That was followed by a “Let’s Freakin’ Go. Welcome to Miami, Giannis” announcement to the team’s 4.4 million followers on X.
And then “a Welcome to the Culture, Bobby Portis” tweet followed that.
Then the Heat thanked the four veterans traded to Milwaukee. “We’ll never forget life on the Jaime Highway,” the Heat said in one tweet, a reference to how Heat TV voice Eric Reid described Jaquez’s forays to the basket.
Jersey number update
Bobby Portis will wear No. 95. As for Giannis’ jersey, see above..
Riley’s comment
Here’s what Pat Riley said after the Heat’s acquisition of Giannis Antetokounmpo was announced:
“The announcement of today’s trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis Jr. is one of the great trades in Heat history. In my opinion, Giannis is one of the top five players in the league and Bobby is one of the best power forwards.
“The difficult part is trading Tyler, Kasparas, Jaime and Kel’el who have given so much to this organization, we wish them nothing but the best. I also want to thank the Arison’s for their continued pursuit towards winning a championship and we feel this gives us a better opportunity moving forward.
“I want to welcome Giannis and Bobby to the Miami Heat family.”
Bucks statement
Here’s what Milwaukee general manager Jon Horst said about the players acquired from the Heat: “We’re excited to welcome Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez and Kasparas Jakucionis to Bucks basketball. Each brings talent, versatility, competitiveness and a team-first mentality that builds our culture and identity.”
All are immediately trade eligible but cannot be aggregated with other players in trades until Sept. 6.
Press conference news
The Heat will introduced Giannis is a press conference that’s expected to be held July 16. He’s traveling this week.
Giannis live stream
Antetokounmpo, whose trade to the Heat became official around 1 p.m. Monday, in the midst of a live stream with N3#on. Among the notable comments:
1). When he was tricked into thinking that LeBron James had signed with Cleveland and then realized that was fake, he said: “Ah, there is a chance!” He said “the person I like to watch a lot is LeBron James.”
2). His reaction to the trade, from a Bucks perspective: “I’m grateful for the Bucks. The fans. This is tough moment for me right now but we’ll get through it. I’m grateful for the fans, memories, championships, my teammates, the city of Milwaukee. The state of Wisconsin”
3). Asked who is the best American big man, he said: “Bam Adebayo. I’ll tell you right now it’s Bam Adebayo bro.”
Trade now official
The Heat/Bucks trade has been approved by the NBA; it’s now official. Here are the terms (all widely reported previously) and more details.
Giannis merchandise is now on sale in Heat stores and on-line.
Two-team deal
The Heat and Bucks did not expand the two-team trade that will send Antetokounmpo to the Heat for five players (including Tennessee center Nate Ament, who was drafted by Miami), three future draft picks (including 2031 and 2033 first-rounders) and one pick swap (in 2030) to the Bucks.
The deal will be announced later Monday.
As we noted in this space last Tuesday, the Heat never considered offering a draft carrot to try to dump Nikola Jovic’s four-year, $62 million extension, which kicks in this season. The Heat has no tradable first round picks at the moment anyway.
Hardaway news
A week after Tim Hardaway said that his son would not wear his old jersey number with the Heat, plans have changed.
Hardaway Jr. will wear No. 10 after all, as Heat radio voice Jason Jackson disclosed Sunday and a source confirmed Monday.
Hardaway’s No. 10 jersey will be the first jersey number to be used after being retired.
A news conference with Hardaway is expected in the days ahead.
There is no news conference with Antetokounmpo in the next couple of days; he’s traveling.
This story was originally published July 6, 2026 at 12:07 PM.
