There was a Bam-Giannis sighting in Las Vegas. Also, more reaction to blockbuster trade
The blockbuster trade isn’t official yet, but the Miami Heat’s new leading duo of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo has already made a public appearance together.
Antetokounmpo and Adebayo entered Michelob ULTRA Arena together for Tuesday night’s WNBA game in Las Vegas, where Adebayo’s girlfriend A’ja Wilson stars for the Aces. Antetokounmpo and Adebayo, who share the same agent in Alex Saratsis, both sat courtside for the game.
Antetokounmpo was shown on the Michelob ULTRA Arena scoreboard with a caption that read, “Giannis Antetokounmpo 2x NBA MVP & Newest Member of the Miami Heat.” Adebayo and Antetokounmpo both sat courtside for the Aces’ game against the New York Liberty on Tuesday night.
This came just one day after the Heat dealt Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis and a haul of draft capital to the Bucks to acquire Antetokounmpo and veteran forward Bobby Portis.
The Heat and Bucks aren’t able to publicly comment on the trade until it’s made official, which can’t happen until the NBA’s 2026-27 salary-cap calendar begins on July 6.
That had the Heat selecting Tennessee forward Nate Ament on behalf of the Bucks on Tuesday with the 13th overall pick in the first round, which was among the draft selections sent to Milwaukee to land Antetokounmpo. The Bucks also picked guard Brayden Burries out of Arizona with their own selection at No. 10 in the first round, just a few picks before Miami selected for Milwaukee.
Ament walked on stage at Barclays Center in Brooklyn in a Heat hat despite being bound for the Bucks, with Miami selecting him on behalf of Milwaukee and the move to the Bucks still pending. NBA commissioner Adam Silver then soon returned to the podium to announce Ament’s daft rights would be going to the Bucks.
The Heat posted on social media following the selection, “As part of a deal to be finalized later, the Miami Heat is trading to the Milwaukee Bucks the draft rights to Nate Ament, the 13th pick in the NBA draft.”
Bucks general manager Jon Horst couldn’t discuss specifics of the trade when he spoke to the media following the first round of the draft on Tuesday, but he did talk about the value of having two lottery picks in the wake of the Antetokounmpo deal.
“We were clear if we had the chance to take Nate with that pick, that’s what we were going to do,” Horst said during a press conference following the first round of the draft Tuesday night. “To acquire those draft rights, that was an unbelievable opportunity for us. I think value-wise in this draft, this is a really highly rated individual. “When we found out we’re going to have the 10th pick, you spend a lot of time in that range. The more you learn about the range, the more you learn about that opportunity. Right or wrong, we’ll find out years to come. You start to understand the value in that range. And for us, we felt like if we could get two picks in that range, that would be massive value and a massive opportunity for us.”
The Heat acquired one of the NBA’s best players in the trade, but the Bucks are hoping the deal helps fast-track their rebuild at the start of the post-Giannis era.
“We’re just really excited to continue to build and add on, piece and piece, and create an identity, a style of play, a roster full of character and versatility and size,” Horst said. “Got a lot of work ahead of us, but it’s a good start.”
MORE REACTION
With the exception of ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins, former players with media platforms generally have been more bullish on the Heat’s post-trade chances than some national pundits who have never played. Magic Johnson said the trade puts the Heat alongside the Knicks. Among the reaction from other former NBA players:
▪ Former Celtics star and frequent Heat critic Paul Pierce:
“I like what they did. I still believe they need some more pieces in order to be in that championship contention. [But] when you add a guy like Giannis who’s still in his prime with Bam Adebayo, you talk about a front line that’s gonna be defensively one of the best in the league. I like the move.”
▪ ESPN analyst Jay Williams: “When have we seen him with other All-Stars over the last four or five years…. Who has he played with? You put him with Bam Adebayo, Andrew Wiggins, Davion Mitchell, you find some pieces in the margins. You’re telling me that Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra, who’s potentially the best coach in the NBA, don’t have a legitimate chance to win a championship?
“I’m going to trust in the guy Pat Riley who is incredibly patient and continues to trade for Hall Of Famers. Shaq, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Jimmy Butler. This franchise wins in the margins! They win this way every time! They wait for the right person, when they get him, they win!”
▪ ESPN co-lead analyst Tim Legler: “This team did not have enough talent. They answered that with Giannis. They need playmaking and shooting, no doubt... [But] Giannis puts this team on the map. They’re relevant again. You look at that top four, top five, I think the Miami Heat will find themselves there because he checks so many different boxes on both ends of the floor.”
▪ Former Heat forward Markeiff Morris, now an ESPN studio analyst: “I’m very high on it just because of Heat Culture. The way Spoelstra puts his players in the position to win… Get a guy like a Gabe Vincent, Tim Hardaway, or a guy like Anfernee Simons to buy in off that big contract, take the midlevel exception or vet minium on a team with Giannis and Bam.”
▪ His twin brother and fellow ESPN analyst Marcus Morris: “Defensively they’ll be a juggernaut. We haven’t seen two All-Star bigs on the same team since DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis.”
