With resolution expected ahead of NBA Draft, it looks to be down to Heat and Celtics for Giannis
The Miami Heat will host an NBA Draft party Tuesday night at Kaseya Center, but it’s still not clear what fans will be celebrating at that draft party.
Will the event turn into a celebration of the Heat’s acquisition of Milwaukee Bucks two-time NBA MVP forward Giannis Antetokounmpo? Or will it actually be a party to welcome the Heat’s new first-round draft pick to Miami?
That will be decided in the coming hours, as the Heat remains in aggressive pursuit of a trade for Antetokounmpo. With the Heat holding the 13th overall pick in the first round of the draft that will be held on Tuesday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn (8 p.m., ABC and ESPN), this first-round selection at No. 13 is expected to be part of any Heat trade offer to the Bucks for Antetokounmpo.
Technically, the Heat isn’t eligible to trade its 2026 first-round pick (No. 13 overall) because NBA rules prevent teams from being without a first-round selection in two consecutive years (the Heat sent a top-14 protected first-round 2027 pick to the Charlotte Hornets in the Terry Rozier trade). But the Heat would pick a player on behalf of the Bucks at No. 13 in the first round of this year’s draft as part of a prearranged trade.
The Boston Celtics are the other finalist in the Giannis sweepstakes, with ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reporting Monday morning that the Celtics are “all-in” on trying to trade for Antetokounmpo and have even made 29-year-old five-time NBA All-Star Jaylen Brown available in trade talks.
In addition, longtime NBA reporter Marc Stein reported early Monday morning that “the Celtics emerged from the weekend ‘with a real shot’ to win this race with a Jaylen Brown-centric offer.”
While Milwaukee doesn’t have to trade Antetokounmpo before this week’s draft, Bucks co-owner Jimmy Haslam made clear recently that the team would like to make a decision on Antetokounmpo’s future with the organization by the NBA Draft. Also, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Monday that the expectation is Antetokounmpo will be traded to the Heat or Celtics before the start of the first round of the draft on Tuesday night.
That’s good news for the Heat, as Miami is almost required to land Antetokounmpo before the draft if it’s going to acquire him ahead of this upcoming season. Why? The Heat would be able to include three first-round picks and multiple pick swaps in a trade offer to the Bucks for Antetokounmpo only if a deal is agreed to before the draft.
The Heat would be able to use its first-round selection in this year’s draft to make a pick for the Bucks, and could also include its 2030 and 2032 first-round picks as part of the trade package for Antetokounmpo. NBA teams are only allowed to trade picks up to seven drafts into the future.
The Heat could only include two first-round picks in a trade for Antetokounmpo if a deal is agreed to after this week’s draft.
The Heat also has young talent on its roster such as Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Pelle Larsson, Kasparas Jakucionis and Nikola Jovic on its roster who it could include to sweeten any trade offer to the Bucks for Antetokounmpo. Heat guard Tyler Herro and Ware are widely expected to be part of any realistic Heat trade offer for Antetokounmpo.
While three-time All-Star center Bam Adebayo is the only Heat player truly off the table in Antetokounmpo trade discussions, the Heat doesn’t want to gut its team and draft capital in a deal.
But with Brown reportedly now on the table in trade discussions for Antetokounmpo, the Heat could be forced to improve its offer if it’s going to win the Giannis sweepstakes.
Brown is the best player available in trade talks for the Bucks between the Heat and Celtics. Brown, who finished in sixth place in the voting for the NBA’s MVP award this past season, averaged 25.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.1 blocks per game for the Celtics last season.
The Bucks could flip Brown to a third team for draft capital that will help with their long-term rebuild, or they could hold on to Brown and remain competitive this upcoming season. It’s not clear what else the Celtics are offering the Bucks besides Brown.
The fact that Antetokounmpo is essentially on an expiring contract, with a player option for the 2027-28 season, provides him leverage to force his way to a specific team because of the long-term commitment teams will need from Antetokounmpo to give up the players and draft picks needed to acquire him in a trade.
While league sources have indicated that Antetokounmpo has interest in being dealt to the Heat, he also reportedly would likely make a long-term commitment to the Celtics.
Antetokounmpo, 31, becomes eligible to sign a four-year, $275 million contract extension with the Bucks on Oct. 1. But if he’s dealt, he would become eligible for that extension with his new team six months following the trade.
Antetokounmpo, who had finished in the top four in MVP voting in seven straight seasons before injuries limited him this past season, is due $58.5 million this upcoming season.
If the Heat doesn’t land Antetokounmpo, it could just use the 13th overall pick to add to its young core. Or the Heat could pivot and try to trade the first-round selection for another All-Star talent.
If the Heat holds on to the player selected at No. 13, that pick is expected to come between 9:05 p.m. and 9:35 p.m. on Tuesday with five minutes between picks in the first round.
Among the names in play for the Heat at No. 13 are Texas Tech’s Christian Anderson, Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr., Arizona’s Brayden Burries, Alabama’s Labaron Philon Jr., Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz, Stanford’s Ebuka Okorie, Arkansas’ Meleek Thomas, Baylor’s Cameron Carr, Duke’s Isaiah Evans, Connecticut’s Alex Karaban, BYU’s Richie Saunders, Texas’ Dailyn Swain, Tennessee’s Nate Ament, Houston’s Chris Cenac Jr., Santa Clara’s Allen Graves, Iowa State’s Joshua Jefferson, Michigan’s Morez Johnson Jr., international prospect Karim Lopez, Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan’s Aday Mara, Arizona’s Koa Peat, Kentucky’s Jayden Quaintance and Washington’s Hannes Steinbach.
The Heat also holds a second-round pick in this year’s draft at No. 41 overall. The second round of the draft will come on Wednesday (8 p.m., ESPN).
But the Heat’s focus is currently on Antetokounmpo and the first round of the draft. Will the Heat be making a selection for the Bucks at No. 13 as part of a blockbuster trade for Antetokounmpo or will the Celtics ends up with Antetokounmpo?
This big question is expected to be answered in the coming hours.
HEAT DRAFT WATCH PARTY
Whether or not the Heat trades for Antetokounmpo, the team will host an NBA Draft party at Kaseya Center for Tuesday’s first round. The event begins at 7 p.m.
“The Miami Heat will host a free 2026 NBA Draft Party at Kaseya Center. Fans can enjoy an exciting Draft Night experience with immersive activities across the arena bowl. The first 1,000 fans to enter will receive a commemorative Heat scarf courtesy of Ticketmaster. The event also features a pop-up Heat Store, special giveaways, photo opportunities, and more,” Heat said in a press release.
Parking will be available for the event in the P2 Garage at Kaseya Center for $5.
More details and access to the free tickets can be found at HEAT.com/DraftParty.
This story was originally published June 22, 2026 at 10:10 AM.
