Do The Heat Have The Best Giannis Trade Package?

A couple of media pundits and fans have proposed a plethora of trade packages involving Antetokounmpo headed to South Beach. Giannis is in year one of a 3-year $175 million contract coming in at $54.1 million, $58.4 million, and a $62.7 million player option in the 2027-2028 season.

My personal trade package would include Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr, potentially Kasparas Jakučionis, two first-round picks, and multiple swaps as well. Herro peaked as an All-Star last season, is a three-level scorer, and an underrated playmaker. Ware has all of the talent in the world, is a double-double machine, and can hit 3 pointers. Jaquez Jr. is a ferocious scorer who gets downhill at will, has taken a playmaking leap, and is one of the leading candidates for Sixth Man of the Year. Jakučionis is a 19-year-old rookie who’s just getting his feet wet but has been an impressive 3-point shooter and solid playmaker so far.

On the other hand, Herro’s been incredibly injury-prone and is an underwhelming defender. Ware has a legit motor issue, and Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra has been outspoken about his frustrations with him on the court. Jaquez Jr. had a sophomore slump last season after an excellent rookie season, but he still isn’t a threat from anywhere outside of the paint. Jakučionis is incredibly young, but he’s always been tasked with a turnover problem and is a relative unknown in the NBA currently.

In terms of draft picks, the Heat have two tradable ones in 2030 and 2032 on top of swaps as well. These picks could be really valuable as Antetokounmpo would be 36 and 38 by that time, and Bam Adebayo would be 33 and 35 years old.

The Heat package can also include other players like Norman Powell, Andrew Wiggins, Pelle Larsson, Nikola Jović, Simone Fontecchio, or the $26.6 million expiring contract of Terry Rozier. In my original trade proposal, Miami’s starting five would be Davion Mitchell, Powell, Larsson, Antetokounmpo, and Adebayo. Not too shabby at all. I could see some spacing concerns if Adebayo and Larsson’s 3’s aren’t falling, and Mitchell’s a low-volume shooter.

The Heat might have to take on Kyle Kuzma’s contract in this situation, or you know, also acquire Thanasis Antetokounmpo. Milwaukee’s starting five in this scenario would be Ryan Rollins, Herro, Jaquez Jr, Myles Turner, and Ware. On top of the Bucks’ first-round pick this season, which is widely expected to be at least in the top ten.

How Does Miami’s Giannis Package Stack Up Against Others?

Another highly talked about trade package is the Golden State Warriors with Butler/Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski/Moses Moody, and a flurry of first-round picks. Butler is making $55 million annually, is 36 years old, and just recently tore his ACL, making him a negative asset. Green is a fiery personality, gritty defender, playmaker, and rebounder, but Milwaukee would have to offload him to a third team. Kuminga is racking up DNP’s, is a one-level scorer, and clearly is butting heads with head coach Steve Kerr. Podziemski is a nice crafty player who’s been efficient this season, and Moody is an ideal 3 and D player in this league, but they don’t stack up with Herro and Ware.

A lot of people solely want this to happen because it would pair two superstars together with Steph Curry and Antetokounmpo, the Damian Lillard duo on steroids, with the in and out game. The best shooter and arguably best point guard of all time, paired with one of the most dominant forces to grace the sport, would be elite-level basketball.

In terms of the package, the crown jewel here is the first-round picks, as Curry is approaching 40 years old and the young core isn’t that tantalizing, respectively. Golden State can trade its 2028, 2030, and 2032 first-round picks on top of swaps in 2026 and 2031. Golden State’s starting five would be Stephen Curry, De’Anthony Melton, Moses Moody, Antetokounmpo, and Green. The Bucks starting five would be Rollins, Podziemski, AJ Green, Kuminga, and Turner.

The Minnesota Timberwolves can get involved here with trading away Julius Randle, the New York Knicks could trade Karl-Anthony Towns, and the San Antonio Spurs package would probably have to include Dylan Harper or Stephon Castle. It just depends on what Milwaukee wants at the end of the day.

The End Of My Giannis Rant

Do the Bucks want to rebuild or retool? Do they want win now players or blue-chip young players? Or would they want a pick-oriented package more so? It’s going to be next to impossible to pair all of these together, but Miami does provide the necessary win-now players who are relatively young, but they only have two tradable firsts. Herro is 26, assuming they keep him, Ware is 21, Jaquez Jr is 24, and Jakučionis is only 19 years old.

Those Warriors picks are going to be a goldmine down the line; they can trade an additional first-round pick, but the players they can trade don’t stack up against Miami’s. The Heat only have two tradable first-round picks since their 2027 is headed to the Charlotte Hornets in the Rozier deal, but they make it up with young, impactful players.

The Western Conference is an absolute gauntlet for Golden State, and the NBA trade deadline is next week on February 5th, so let’s see how this shakes out.