Ten news reports on Antetokounmpo, and thoughts on each, as Heat pursues trade
The 24-hour Giannis Antetokounmpo news cycle keeps spitting out bread crumbs, updates that advance the story incrementally. Here are 10 of them from this week and some thoughts on each, as the Heat continues its pursuit of a trade for the two-time league MVP:
▪ ESPN’s Brian Windhorst: “The team to watch here is Miami... And Giannis I think wants to be in Miami.”
Quick thought: Someone who has spent time with Antetokounmpo did not remotely dispute that relocating to South Florida is appealing to him, though the source didn’t know how he stood on several other cities linked to a potential Antetokounmpo pursuit.
What’s interesting is that unlike with Damian Lillard three years ago, Antetokounmpo and agent Alex Saratsis have opted not to leak the teams with which he would sign an extension, a move that would discourage potential suitors that are of no interest to him.
▪ More Windhorst: “The Heat badly wants Giannis. The Bucks want a package of established talent, prospects and draft picks. The Heat can offer that. Whether they can be beat is another [story].
“Tyler Herro, then you have a selection of young prospects… There’d be quite a few teams interested in Kel’el Ware if he got shipped to Milwaukee and they were willing to flip him… Big man who can stretch the floor, block shots. If I were the Lakers and Ware got shipped to Milwaukee, I would be on the phone.”
Quick thought: The Heat’s at-all-costs bid for Antetokounmpo (short of offering Bam Adebayo) is known by the entire Western hemisphere.
With regard to Ware, I’m not sure why the Bucks would want to flip him, even though they have underachieving Myles Turner under contract for three more years. If the Heat simply traded Ware on his own, Miami very likely would get a first-round pick back based on interest shown in the league, a source said. (The Heat has no intention of trading Ware on his own.)
▪ The Stein Line’s Jake Fischer, suggesting no deal will be made until after the Finals: “At this point the only two teams that I’ve really heard are actively pursuing Giannis with deals and some type of framework that the Bucks are at least entertaining [are Miami and Portland]. I’ve had multiple people tell me today that if Milwaukee really was getting to the finish line of a Giannis trade to Miami or anywhere else, that they’re calling New York back and saying ‘are you sure you don’t want to put Karl-Anthony Towns in a trade for Giannis?’...
“I’ve been told from various people around the league that Milwaukee has been telling agents and other rival teams that they’re expecting to have a pick somewhere later on in the first round after their own number 10.” (The Heat selects 13th).
Quick thought: Whether the Knicks win or lose this series, I would be surprised if they break up a team that won 12 playoff games in a row, when Antetokounmpo’s injury issues the past two years are factored in.
▪ ESPN’s Tim McMahon: Oklahoma City or Houston “could outbid Miami. I don’t think either are likely to.”
Quick thought: That’s consistent with what we have heard. The Rockets, who were viewed as a potential suitor, had not pursued a deal as of a few days ago, a source said.
▪ ESPN’s Tim Bontemps: “I don’t think the Celtics are trading for Giannis. I don’t think that’s the kind of move they’re going to make. I don’t think Jaylen Brown’s going out in a deal like that. I just don’t see how Minnesota gets a [Giannis] deal done. I would be stunned if the Thunder ever made that trade.”
Quick thought: The Heat has had plenty of bad luck through the years, with Chris Bosh’s blood clots and Alonzo Mourning’s kidney problems surfacing during the prime of their careers. But the reported lack of interest from Boston and OKC is fortuitous for Miami, because either could easily top a Heat offer.
▪ Windhorst: “Portland has sniffed around. I’m not sure that Giannis is extending in Portland.”
Quick thought: There’s delicious irony there, with Portland refusing to trade Lillard to the team he preferred (the Heat) and Antetokounmpo reportedly giving the Blazers pause because he seemingly wouldn’t commit to a new contract there, while he very likely would commit with the Heat.
▪ Bontemps: “The Heat have a fine package. I would say that if Giannis winds up on the Heat, it’s... either because he puts his thumb on the scale and says ‘I’m only going to play for the Heat,’ which frankly to this point, Giannis has shown no sign to do any of that stuff, and I would not anticipate that happening.
“And the other part is if teams are just wary of outbidding Miami. Because I think if there’s other teams... that decide to get in the mix, I think they all have enough to outbid the Heat if they choose to actually say, we want to go down the road with Giannis and sign up to have a guy who’s going to be on the team until he’s 36, 37 with, a gigantic contract on the books and some of the potential long-term downsides that could come with that.”
Quick thought: But all it takes is one secret team to emerge from the shadows and make an offer. That’s why cautious optimism is warranted for Heat fans but supreme confidence would seem excessive.
▪ The Stein Line’s Marc Stein: “The Bucks are known to want to include Portland in an eventual multi-team Giannis trade structure if possible in hopes of somehow reacquiring some measure of the draft capital they surrendered to the Trail Blazers in the Damian Lillard trade just before the 2023-24 season.”
Quick thought: Aside from Antetokounmpo, what asset from the Bucks would possibly entice Portland to give Milwaukee their picks back? And with Portland already having two young centers under contract and thus not needing Ware, what from Miami in a three-team deal would necessarily entice them, either?
That said, it wouldn’t be surprising if a third team were included as a cap facilitator of sorts.
▪ The Associated Press’ Tim Reynolds: “There is a growing belief in some corners that the Giannis trade — if it happens, of course — will also include Bobby Portis.”
Quick thought: Portis and Antetokounmpo are very close, and Portis’ scoring, rebounding and three-point shooting would help replace the loss of Ware.
Portis’ contract — which pays him $14.5 million next season with a $15.6 million player option for 2027-28 — is reasonable for the production: 13.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 45.6% three-point shooting in 67 games and nine starts last season.
The Heat showed some degree of interest in Portis years ago. A hypothetical trade sending Ware, Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Nikola Jovic to the Bucks for Antetokounmpo and Portis would work within the rules of the cap because Miami is well below the tax and first apron and can take back about $12 million more than it sends out.
▪ The Athletic’s Sam Amick:
“[Bucks GM] Jon Horst is very good at going in bunker mode. I talked to a team today that had wondered from their conversations that maybe he was in a pinch. As far as like real strong suitors that Miami was putting itself so far out in front of the rest of the field that the Bucks weren’t getting the type of package they were hoping for.”
Quick thought: One scout said he believes the Antetokounmpo market has been smaller/softer than some might have thought. Because teams in the 9-10 play-in game will have the same lottery chances as the teams with the three worst records (for at least the next three years), some teams seem to be thinking twice before shipping away a bunch of future firsts.
A new team also would be expected to give him a four-year, $275 million extension, which also will give some franchises pause for thought.
This story was originally published June 10, 2026 at 4:05 PM.
