More On Giannis Antetokounmpo Blockbuster

Although Giannis Antetokounmpo technically never demanded a trade out of Milwaukee, he and agent Alex Saratsis consistently messaged to the Bucks for the past 13 months that they felt it would be in both sides’ best interests to part ways, writes Shams Charania of ESPN. Antetokounmpo’s representatives also made it clear to the team that the star forward wouldn’t be signing another long-term extension when he became eligible to do so in October, according to both Charania and Sam Amick and Eric Nehm of The Athletic.

While the Bucks still resisted trading Antetokounmpo last offseason and at Februray’s in-season deadline, they finally pulled the trigger on a deal on Monday night, agreeing to send the 31-year-old (along with Bobby Portis) to the Heat for a package that features four players, three first-round picks, a second-rounder, and a pick swap.

Before opting for the Heat’s package, the Bucks gave serious consideration to a Celtics offer that reportedly consisted of Jaylen Brown and two first-round picks. However, Charania said on SportsCenter (Twitter video link) that Boston’s proposal fell short of what Milwaukee was looking for, with the Bucks seeking more assets from the Celtics, including young players like Hugo Gonzalez and Baylor Scheierman.

While the Heat’s offer was long known to include Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, and Jaime Jaquez Jr., they were able to push it over the top with the inclusion of 2025 first-round pick Kasparas Jakucionis, per Jake Fischer of The Stein Line and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter links), who say Miami was initially reluctant to part with the young guard.

League sources tell Amick and Nehm that the Heat wanted to include another guard, Davion Mitchell, in the package in place of Jakucionis. But that would’ve meant that three of the four players being sent to the Bucks were on expiring contracts, which didn’t appeal to Milwaukee, according to The Athletic’s duo. By acquiring Jakucionis instead of Mitchell, the Bucks are getting a younger player with more room to grow who also has a smaller cap hit and is under contract for at least the next three seasons.

Here’s more on the Antetokounmpo blockbuster, which will become official in July:

• Herro is “thrilled” by the idea of getting a fresh start in Milwaukee, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes, who tweets that the Wisconsin native “always envisioned” playing for his hometown team at some point in his career. Still, it’s not a lock that the Bucks will hang onto Herro, per Amick and Nehm. Milwaukee’s front office is open to keeping the 2025 All-Star, but will also listen to inquiries on a player believed to have a “robust” market.
• Though the trade only involves the Bucks and Heat for the time being, there’s a possibility it will expand to include more teams by the time it can be officially completed on July 6, notes Charania. Because the structure of the deal works as currently constructed, Milwaukee or Miami would be able to negotiate separately with new potential trade partners rather than both needing to be involved in those talks.
• Although the framework of the deal the Heat and Bucks agreed to was similar to the one they discussed prior to February’s deadline, this package included a little “more” of everything, including young players and draft picks, tweets ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. Notably, this year’s No. 13 overall pick, one of the most valuable assets going to Milwaukee in the deal, wasn’t eligible to be traded earlier this year due to the Stepien rule.