After several years of on-and-off trade rumors and passive-aggressive messaging, the Milwaukee Bucks have finally dealt arguably the best player to ever put on their uniform, save for a man once named Lew Alcindor.
The Bucks traded Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to the Miami Heat in exchange for Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel’el Ware, Kasparas Jakucionis, three first-round draft picks, one pick swap and one second-round pick, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Antetokounmpo, of course, is a two-time MVP and immediately raises a team’s ceiling with his long name sprawled out across a roster sheet alone. However, such a move raises the heat in South Beach tremendously, putting pressure on the franchise to win another championship in a short window.
Miami’s defense should improve considerably, with Antetokounmpo’s length providing Bam Adebayo with some much-needed protection at the rim. Adebayo has made a name for himself for being able to guard multiple positions, especially on the perimeter, and now he can comfortably stay out there.
Offensively, Adebayo could provide Antetokounmpo with decent floor spacing, especially with Antetokounmpo now in the fold to break defenses down and help provide cleaner looks for Adebayo behind the arc.
Where the two could really thrive, though, is on pick-and-roll actions, as both are more than capable of single-handedly applying tons of pressure at the rim and drawing fouls at will. Both of them in the same lineup could make even the toughest walls come crumbling down.
For this setup to work, though, the Heat will need to provide the two with plenty of 3-point shooting and could benefit from having a three-level scorer in the mix.
Andrew Wiggins could take on some of that responsibility, as he demonstrated just a few years ago that he can take over as a go-to scorer in the NBA Finals. With defenses likely to play closer to the rim, that could enable Wiggins to paint the midrange and target smaller defenders.
Right now, Miami’s roster is stretched incredibly thin, but if there is a franchise that can dig for diamonds in the rough and piece together a supporting cast strong enough to surround All-Star-caliber players with, it’s the Heat.
Heat president Pat Riley and coach Erik Spoelstra surrounded Jimmy Butler and Adebayo with a roster full of previously unknown names during their two Finals runs earlier this decade. Among those names were Duncan Robinson, Max Strus, and Kendrick Nunn. The Heat also brought in vets and players who were seeking more expanded roles.
Simply put, the Heat did not have a roster that made the world scream “This is a championship-contending team,” but it was the “Heat Culture, which entails checking egos at the door, elite conditioning, and not taking possessions off, that helped them overachieve during the Butler era.
If the Heat keep those principles in check, this is a trade that could eventually pay off, especially with Antetokounmpo’s proven ability to lead a team to a championship and become a Finals MVP.
