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There is smoke (trade buzz) in Miami

Originally posted on thePeachBasket | By Eric Labrador | Last updated Jan 29, 2026 4:37 PM ET

There is smoke (trade buzz) in Miami for Giannis Antetokoumpo. The Twitterverse has popped out with smoke. One tweet said they saw Giannis, Pat Riley, Andy Ellisburg, Bam Adebayo and Udonis Haslem at the Rusty Pelican restaurant in Key Biscayne. Another tweet posted a “Breaking News” banner and said a deal for Giannis was being finalized.

What is Giannis coming to?

The twitter account of @playoffjake said that the trade will be Giannis for Tyler Herro and Andrew Wiggins (with draft capital.) This is not confirmed or true so far. For Heat fans “visions of sugarplums,” then Giannis would be on a team with Kel’el Ware, Bam Adebayo and Norman Powell. The Heat’s power rotation would be vastly improved. The Heat would be like a video game team that unlocked a “Power Up” that made them 10x stronger.

The Heat lost to Orlando last night. They got blown out of the arena with a 40-20 third quarter. As per Coach Erik Spoelstra, the team’s psyche is still young and learning how to win. The Heat are on their way to play Atlanta and Chicago in the play-in tournament for the third straight season.

Younger players would benefit from Giannis. Unlike Ja Morant, who has also been linked to the Heat in trade talks, Giannis would enjoy Heat culture and acclimate better. The Heat front office would envelop Giannis in a “culture bubble” where he would feel safe and protected. This was done with Shaq, Lebron and Jimmy Butler.

But it still doesn’t mean, he is coming to Miami.

What is Giannis leaving?

Earlier this season after a game with the Thunder, the Athletic’s Eric Nehm posited to Giannis that the Bucks could win if they gave him more shots. He didn’t demand more shots but suggested indirectly to Nehm that past Bucks players have known he could help the team win. But (big but) that other players are trying to “put their stamp” on the team’s success without Giannis.

Bucks writer Austin Dobbins wrote that Giannis “wants to break up with the team” but “can’t say the words.” Doc Rivers and the Bucks front office appear to try and sell Giannis that they could make a trade to bring in another player to help him. That might be too late. It still doesn’t mean that Giannis is coming to Miami.

Heat fans post-Jimmy Butler

Heat fans have been hoping for “a whale” to come to the team for awhile (Kevin Durant, Giannis, Damian Lillard.) The fans psyche post-Jimmy Butler has been tender because fans embraced Jimmy’s character. The Damian Lillard almost trade was frustrating.

The fans have tried to rally around Tyler Herro, but it hasn’t sparked anything. Norman Powell has acclimated and helped the team but Powell wasn’t mean to be “the star.” The trade deadline could pass and the Heat could make a midline trade for a player. The fans need to continue to watch the team and root them on regardless even though the smoke could lead to fire.

This article first appeared on thePeachBasket and was syndicated with permission.

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