We are now less than two weeks away from the 2026 NBA Draft, which begins June 23, and, most importantly, the unofficial deadline of the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes.
By now, it’s the worst-kept secret that the Miami Heat are front-and-center for the two-time MVP. And his acquisition, hypothetically, would create a ripple effect for everyone else on the roster, for better or worse.
One of those players who will directly be affected is Heat forward Andrew Wiggins, who shot a career-best 41.4 percent from 3-point range despite the raw numbers being worse than what they generally are.
The 6-foot-6 wing has less than three weeks to decide whether or not he’s exercising his $30.2 million player option for 2026-27. And if he does, don’t expect the Heat to move him, according to a recent report from Anthony Chiang and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
“With or without Antetokounmpo, Wiggins could remain with the Heat if he opts into a contract that would pay him $30.1 million next season,” the report read. “Miami would have the option of trading Wiggins if he exercises that option, but that wouldn’t appear particularly likely — unless Miami can use his salary to facilitate a trade for an All Star who becomes available later this summer or next season.”
Why the Heat should consider trading him anyway (if he does exercise it):
Right now, Miami is playing the waiting game for Antetokounmpo. The Bucks are presumably waiting until the end of the NBA Finals to officially pull the trigger on any Antetokounmpo trade — which feels inevitable, at this point — according to NBA insiders Jake Fischer and Marc Stein of The Stein Line.
“There is an increasing belief leaguewide that they would prefer to wait until after the NBA Finals before completing a deal to see if the Knicks end up squandering a 2-0 series lead,” the report read. “Might the Knicks then decide to re-enter the Giannis Trade Sweepstakes in response to the disappointment of letting the title slip away?”
Assuming the Heat land the 10-time All-Star for Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, three first-round picks and a combination of Jaime Jaquez Jr., Pelle Larsson, Nikola Jovic and Kasparas Jakucionis, Miami will have $108 million allocated to both Antetokounmpo and Adebayo.
You factor in Wiggins’ $30.2 million player option and, say, a similar starting salary to Powell’s cap hit last year ($20.5M), and you’re less than $7 million from the projected $165 million salary cap. They’d be a ways from the first ($201M) and second apron ($209M), but that’s a lot of money for an elite player (Antetokounmpo), a very good player (Adebayo) and two flawed players (Wiggins, Powell) without much else.
Additionally, Wiggins’ skillset doesn’t quite fit alongside Adebayo and Antetokounmpo. While his role would be simplified, he’s still unable to 1.) Create a shot for himself, which the Heat would be bereft of besides Giannis and 2.) He’s not a great floor spacer, despite what his percentages suggest. Two-way versatility matters — which may be the foremost reason why Miami keeps Wiggins — but he doesn’t draw much gravity and has trouble on secondary attacks.
It would be easier to slot Wiggins in if the guard room was better. As much as Davion Mitchell’s grown as a playmaker over the last three years, he’s still not a great passer. And Dru Smith is a significantly limited playmaker. Better playmaking guards would make life easier for everyone around, including Wiggins. But inconsistent guard play puts extra burden on everyone else to create for themselves and others; as good as Giannis is, he can’t be the only one.
At the very least, Miami should explore selling Wiggins off as an expiring for more shooting and shot creation — even though (part of) his skillset should still be valuable to his roster.
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Know I’m in the minority…but do not hope or want Heat to gut whole roster for Giannis. Would rather have Heat just continue build roster through timely acquisitions, trades, or drafts. However long it would take to field a true championship team would be part of the journey. Interesting factoid…Knicks have pretty much built whole team through trades whereas Spurs through the draft. (tanking sure helped!) Going forward it’s no secret…roster construction with all these new apron constraints will make it almost impossible to keep a championship team intact for very long. One can’t blame players especially with generational money being offered to say “show me the money “ !!!
dynasties pretty much over in sports.patriots prob last dynasty we will see
Dodgers.
I want money, that’s what I want.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVuSYUNAekc
“Know I’m in the minority…but do not hope or want Heat to gut whole roster for Giannis“
Agreed
I’ll add I don’t want Giannis period. Don’t want kawhi either. Neither one of those dudes are hungry for something they already have.
Also this team needs to focus on getting talent in here (2 years later)
Riley has failed to rebuild the team for years. Hell, he couldn’t even bring in a part-time PF/C to rotate with Ware and Bam, which probably cost the team a few more games and a guaranteed playoff spot. Now, he wants to atone for all his previous failures in one fell swoop and catapult the team to the promised land by trading the farm for Giannis. If it fails, he/the team/fans may end up right where they have been every previous year, on the outside looking in and sucking wind.
I’ll tell you one thing, if he gives up the assets being rumored, e.g., (Herro, Ware, Jaquez, Larsson and/or Jakucionis, plus 3 picks and 2 pick swaps) they they might as well call Milwaukee “Miami North.” Hell, I could end up watching more of their games than Miami’s.
So much for player development. The Heat spends years developing young players only to give them away. Then, worse case scenario, Giannis has a serious injury and Miami is left with aging veterans, G League salvage projects, lottery picks going to other teams, few young players and limited draft picks. I’m not that desperate. It appears Riley and many Heat fans are.
It’s a bit of a bind. The path the team as constructed has to earnest postseason competition is risky in a “maybe there’s just not enough talent” way.
JJJ could struggle to create with two feet in the paint because of his lack of vertical athleticism. Pelle, against stronger defenders, might find things just that bit harder that makes his all around offensive game less than the sum of its parts. KJ might top out as a good b-squad point guard. Ware may never gain that functional strength and endurance to be able to hold down the defense on his own without Bam.
These are all struggles we’ve seen from the team, doesn’t mean that’s the end of their player development. It also doesn’t mean that other front offices will assume they are buying low on players who will perform significantly better in their systems. That’s the bind. Are our guys all gonna get 10-15% better in a way that adds up to a contender?
The path to success as built is just different, it’s not suffocating like OKC, otherworldly like San Antonio, genius like Denver, overwhelming like Boston, or early-mid 30s Lebron. It’s dare I say it, almost like the Knicks. Where a deep belief in your teammates, relentlessly grinding, and stellar coaching overcome perceived weaknesses.
With Giannis the risk is health, filling out the roster, those key but hard to predict role player performances in important moments. It’s not a question of top end talent. Bam and Giannis is a top tier championship level defense. Can they build enough chemistry, quickly enough, to make the offense work?
10……
The Athletic’s Sam Amick reports that the Boston Celtics are a “serious threat” to the Miami Heat to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo. Amick noted that Jaylen Brown is widely viewed as the most prominent asset Boston would send to Milwaukee to match contracts.
Antetokounmpo is apparently looking closely at the hypothetical rosters after a trade. He reportedly values Boston’s deeper roster, as he wants to ensure he still has plenty of help to contend for titles, compared to the Heat’s potential post-trade roster. He is especially intrigued by the opportunity to play alongside Jason Tatum.
Antetokounmpo is reportedly willing to sign a new 4 Year/$275 Million contract extension in Boston, according to league sources.
If the Bucks were to acquire Brown in this swap, many league sources expect that Milwaukee would immediately flip him to another team for younger players and additional draft picks.
There is an increasing belief Milwaukee wants to wait until after the 2026 NBA Finals to complete a trade, but would still want to have the deal done before the draft on June 23rd. Meanwhile, it appears the Bucks may want Larsson and/or Jakucionis included in any trade with Miami, along with Herro, Ware, Jaquez, multiple draft picks and multiple pick swaps.
Boston offers brown Milwaukee would be dumb not to take it over any other offer. A straight up player for player that way your not gutting a team for one player
Brown carried that Celtics squad this year before Tatum came back. I even hope the Celtics and bucks do this deal if it’s on the table
milw looking for some gap years they dont want brown.might as well keep greek whos a better player only 2 years older.milw starting over they need wares pelles jjj of the world
“Antetokounmpo is apparently looking closely at the hypothetical rosters after a trade. He reportedly values Boston’s deeper roster, as he wants to ensure he still has plenty of help to contend for titles, compared to the Heat’s potential post-trade roster.”
Deep roster? I think White is solid but after that who is there once Brown is traded? Pritchard? Decaying Vuch? Sam Hauser? Is that quote even for effing real? They just let the mummy known as Embiid come back on them up 3-1 and that team is deep? Get the eff outta here Amick with this Boston propaganda.
As in the past, pundits and teams are trying to scare the Heat into increasing their offer. The worm is on the hook. Let’s hope Riley doesn’t bite.
Comes down to Tatum being better for Giannis than Bam.
And the hard on sports media has for Boston players of a certain hue (no I want none of the smoke y’all have been throwing recently, there’s a history there the next great Hick from French Lick Hope springs eternal).
Should the Heat take Brown if Milwaukee were to flip him after a Giannis trade?
Brown for Herro straight up, whosaysnofirst!!?
…but I don’t see how Miami would make that work and still be able to bank on the youngsters improving to get them to the next level, most of them would be gone.
Brown is an enemy.
I know you know better. I’m the only one with the questionable gumption to bring it up. But, I will say this… it’s a copycat league.
Tatum and White are quality. And Quetta was coming on. But, your point is a good one as, although Tatum is better than anything we have, there isn’t a whole lot of difference between us and the C’s after the roster gutting for Giannis.
I just saw stats on 22 year old Kel’el Ware I hadn’t seen before when he played 28+ minutes:
19 GAMES15.0 PPG11.9 RPG1.2 SPG2.3 BPG59% FG44% 3PT71% FT
I would hate to see Ware go or any of Miami’s other young players (such as Jaquez, Larsson and Jakucionis).
If the Heat put absolutely all of their chips in the middle of the table and another team comes along with better players and/or more assets, Riley will not be to blame. However, if there is not a Plan B, that’s another story.
trading for joker only plan b better rc,u have a chance to get first or second best player in nba u give up whatever it takes.once greek is gotten others will flock to so beach,that should be plan b who else comes.no greek fold up tent for 3-5 years,generational player .top 20 plAyer all time.ill worry about post greek when time comes.sm will be 78 by then who knows if he will still be the lebron of hhh.he might be past his posting prime by then
I don’t know that Jokic is on the market, so I don’t anticipate that. I think the more likely pivot would be Kawhi, or Ja. Or maybe, as a long shot, Brown. Milwaukee is looking to go young and Brown wouldn’t fit. I’ve seen the proposal that they’d flip Herro to Detroit for younger players. With a trade for Giannis, Bucks would have the #10, and #13 picks, plus 4-5 young players and additional draft picks.
Kawhi or Ja would definitely be plan B
yes
If they are still available.
kawhi should just end career with lebron and luka.big 3 hes not coming to the heat.very low % to get kawhi.greek is 50 50 ,
What about Reaves?
lebron kawhi luka not to many teams beating that.smart lazyton,not a bad 5
brown to atl hometown greek bost mil ricasher and lots more youngens,good chance this happening hopefully not
point being rc right now hes the only guy rather have than our next ss.
I’d rather have a villa in Florence Italy, but that’s not gonna happen either.
how would u watch heat games
Satellite
NBA League Pass is fully available in Italy, allowing fans to stream all regular-season and playoff games live or on-demand. Italian subscribers experience practically zero national blackouts, giving them access to every single matchup throughout the year.
youd be watching lots games 2 -5 am
Or saved and viewed at your leisure.
I watch all games in the morning via NBA league pass. If you avoid checking internet in the morning, thats a full game experience.. even better, skipping timeouts, free throws etc…Since I m alone in the office, the full fan mode, including loud rooting and occasional cursing is also possible.
EXACTLY! I HATE TALKING HEADS AND COMMERCIALS!
Hey they are selling fixer upper viilas in Italy for $1.
Due to an aging population and urban migration, some of the country’s quaintest towns have an empty-home problem. The towns are looking for people to purchase—and renovate—unoccupied and abandoned homes.
To drive interest in the properties, many of these towns are advertising homes for $1. The bulk of available properties is in Sicily, Umbria, and Tuscany, but you can find homes around the country.
Yes, If you have time for Italian bureaucracy, which dates back to romans age. You wont get permission to move a brick before year 5, unless mafia is involved.
In other words, you may end up with neither. We all need to understand the Giannis deal may not happen and Jokic doesn’t seem to be on the market. If that’s the case, we need to be prepared for something different. Everyone wants Riley to have a Plan B or C ready. So should we.
think positive seems like we are the favs,he likes the city.nice warm weather.him and bam would be the best pf/c combo in nba .either retain norm or wigg hopefully both,u have a 5 of dav norm wig bam greek,name a 5 clearly better,not a whole lot
I think realistically. I think there is a good chance he will come to the Heat. But you seem as if you’d be totally devastated if he doesn’t come here, which is possible. I won’t be. You even put the odds at 50/50. That means there is a one in two chance he doesn’t come here. Like flipping a coin. If he doesn’t come here, I am still very interested to see how the roster shakes out.
Have your realistic Plans B and C ready.
kawhi is only plan b (ss) same as in football franchise qb needed fins havent had one since marino.plan c is a playin plan.haliburton tatum brown brunson cade aint going no where.for me its greek or playin city unless ware becomes wembyish wish is possible to a degree.play him from day 1 30 mins a game we’d know a little more.cause of his SPOradic use not sure exactly who he is.
There is no ‘only’ one Plan B. Ever see a spoiled little kid who doesn’t get that candy or toy that they feel entitled to? They throw themselves onto the floor and kick and scream in dramatic fashion. You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need.
Where was Riley’s Plan B the past 5 years?
In the upper right hand drawer in his desk, but he lost the key and was unable to get it.
if i cant get what i want thats what this site is built for bitch and moan til i do.just get fn greek there will be very little bitching until spojovic enters the game
Yes, that is an honest self description.
Exactly. I hope Riley doesn’t get reamed by the Bucks. Herro, Ware, Jovic and one of the following 3, Jaquez, Larsson or Jakucionis MAX! NOT 2 of 3! Plus 3 picks should be enough. Period!!!
I hope this process doesn’t go on too long. If it falls out for any reason, Riley should already have trades lined up for Herro and Jovic (e.g., Sacramento, Memphis, Detroit, Houston). He should also have plans on draft picks, including possibly trading up and possible pick swaps with teams such as OKC, who have excess picks.
I tend to think Riley would include 2 of those 3 players.
I see it the same way. One of three is a good outcome. Two out of three is not.
Exactly. Reports are Boston is getting involved again and other teams also in a complex three team type transaction.
Because I have the ability to see things thru another teams’ eyes, I am going to say something that some will dislike, despite it likely being true. I don’t think the Bucks are going to take on, with Ware, any combination of Herro, Jaquez, Pelle, and Kas or any more than two of them, or maybe even only one. They won’t say it, but they won’t make that trade, not for three of them, that’s for sure. And, they are already asking for just about every pick we have so I am not sure what we can do. But, I believe they will only accept our offer if there is nothing better, and even then we may have to trade one or two of those guys to get the Bucks another draft pick.
In fact, they just got rid of Connaughton and Lopez. The year before, Gallinari. Only the extremely accurate three point artist Green remains. Just sayin’.
Interesting that Bucks have only 6 guaranteed contracts on the books next year (one of which is expiring), 5 player option contracts (all veteran’s minimum) and 1 team option (for team minimum). It also has 2 contracts that will expire on June 30th. The Bucks also owe Lillard $112.6M over 5 years (through 2029-2030) after waiving him in October, 2025.
Riley wouldn’t dare do that….again! Would he?
The major problem in the past was Riley focused on only one player and then wasted the entire offseason just to come up empty. LeBron, Lillard, KD, to a lesser degree Mitchell, Hayward, Beal (?). Afterwards, any players who might have helped us had already signed elsewhere. That left us with the Zellers, Dedmons, and McRoberts of the world.
If he isn’t working out players Miami might consider drafting with the 13th pick, it appears he is either thinks the Giannis trade is a done deal
-OR- he’s about to make the same mistake again.*
*The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.
i keep on watching heat games and expect diff results.oh so thats why im crazy finally figured it out thanks lebron.now i can stop seeing my psychiatrist.saved me lots $$$ bro.
I just read the following:
ware is the main man he could be wemby jr .i dontknow if i would include ware for kawhi .ware for greek yes.not kawhi.bam ware together could be lethal if they could ever figure it out
milw will say no to jovic theres no way there taking him in a deal
i would play ko and barnes if i was deep voice.kornetts been bad this series and nikola bryant always bad
11……..
Milwaukee be like:
Herro, Ware, Jaquez, Jakucionis, 2026 1st, 2026 2nd, 2029 1st, 2031 1st, 2 pick swaps
Giannis, Portis, Giannis’ brothers (Thenasis & Alex)
Worse case scenario.
Report from The Athletic says Kaspar OR Pelle but not both. Man, I really wanted both, but fight like a rabid dog to keep Kaspar
Any thoughts on the reports Boston is back on the prowl? It feels like they did not like the Knicks close to winning it while the Heat are in the news with Giannis, so they had to flood the news with these reports. That being said, let it ride. Either way this can go in different directions and turn out okay. They know the time is now. Only a few more days left.
Yeah, who knows? It’s why I feel the way I do. The one positive is that all indications are that whatever is done will be done by or before the draft. I hope so, because there’s been too many times negotiations go on endlessly and we end up with our ____________(enter Godfather quote here).
Minnesota reporter: My quick $0.02 on yesterday … that Giannis update felt like Milwaukee trying to drum up more of a market at the 11th hour before having to make a call. (At least that’s how it was viewed after checking in w/ some folks). Get the sense any Wolves-Giannis deal still very unlikely.
wemby def has some weaknesses right now id rather have our next ss of this great franchise
Wait until the trade is confirmed. Otherwise, you are setting yourself up for more disappointment.
im practicing my backflips.if not ill enroll in depression treatment
I won’t assume anything. There have been too many misses on whales in recent years. However, in retrospect, we lucked out by missing, especially with Lillard, but also KD. I think we have as good a chance as anyone to land Giannis, but I won’t celebrate until a trade to the Heat is official. It’s easier for me than some others because I believe the Heat have more than one path to be competitive.
I won’t celebrate until we see the team play. I’m still a doubter that Giannis moves the needle enough to matter. If they come out flat or mediocre what’s there to celebrate? Pat burning another group of first round picks?
do u ever think positive about the heat
Giannis not moving the needle is definitely a hot take. 🙂
Bucks haven’t been a 1 seed for 3 seasons
He can’t carry a franchise solo. Not sure I buy the remnants of Miami’s roster after a potential trade as good enough.
Being a 4-5 seed and giving up 3 firsts and young players to do it, wouldn’t move the needle for me.
hes better than wemby right now
He isn’t playing right now. So there’s that
ok so niko spojovic is better i guess
A 1 seed is the bar? Jeez I guess NY didn’t get the memo.
This past season was his worst cast in a while, plus the Bucks basically benched him for the season so he wouldn’t get hurt and blow up his value.
1 seeds not the bar. How about we discuss the Bucks playoff success since they won the chip?
1 series win, in 5 years. That the goal?
Miami has been 8th, 8th, 8th and 10th, the last four years. The direction of the franchise isn’t one to feel positive about.
agree u do remember we went to two finals though.jordan needed pippen lebron needed wade kyrie ad.theres never been 1 person win a chip wo a robin i can think of
Isn’t that my point? This team doesn’t have enough talent if it’s gutted to get Giannis.
Like that new SNL cast member, Culhane, doing an impression of Tucker Carlson, “What are we doing? What’s going on here? That’s the rule. That’s the goal here“
Why do you constantly ask people if they have anything positive to say about the heat whenever one voice an opinion about the heat. In the past couple of years what has there been to be so excited about?
What young talented young prospect do we have to be excited about? Pelle Meh, jjj meh kas lol ware? Who’s name has been in trade rumors since he got drafted here.
Didn’t make the playoffs this year historically beatdown last year
Was embarrassing 2 years ago vs Bos.
Oh going to the finals twice….. not winning but going means everything to this franchise and its fans. And don’t look now but the Knicks are about to win before this team has in the last 10 years.
Trade bam to the clippers for their 5th this year 27’ frp 29’ frp
Herro to wherever det Utah Memphis etc to get what you can…..start over embrace this century and era of basketball which is a young man’s game its been time two arguably three years ago. continue develop young guys build around 5th and 13th picks hey maybe even hit on the 41st pick
You’re barking up the wrong tree. The m.o. around here is whale hunt, get excited, strike out, get depressed, bitch, have a mediocre season, reach play-in, lose, repeat. Nobody has the patience for a rebuild but will gladly endure 3, 4, 5 years of mediocrity. Go figure. I’ll believe it when I see it.
your 73 u want to throw away3- 5 years of your bball life.im 69 every year of heat life precious to me.no wasted years i love whale hunting.keeps the interest in the heat in off season .this is a great whale just not any type of whale.
Great post. Every now and then, Sun, you see things in the macro, the general trend, and articulate it well. Let’s hope we aren’t headed for another Ground Hog Day let down. I put our odds of landing Giannis lower than most, but still at a pretty high 35%.
The Knicks going up 3-1 does help a little. I’m still hopeful of landing our whale, as I do think we have enough to be a contender, albeit possibly not a champ, if we keep Powell and Wiggins, along with Davion, and we get someone else to fill out the cap.
u yes zach not to much,heat dont do tear downs.theres a hockey team barring injuries will be fighting for lord stanleys cup next few years .mickey$ well aware of that.every jimmy year i thought we had a chance.every bam year hell no.u land greek with little help we have a chance.just land a ss in this case top 1-3 type player ,how many guys u taking over giannis mr positivity.for me the only guy is joker.
Ant shai wemby
ant always comes up short in biggest games.shai is a flopper .greek always gets to rim and hes 6 11.wemby not yet maybe in a few years
Everyone has a right to question things right now. The honeymoon period ended last year. Nothing from over three years ago has any more relevance to this team than the Rothstein era. No more passes due to antiquity. Time to step up and get something accomplished. We fans deserve nothing less. Maybe this deal for Giannis does get done or maybe it doesn’t and we go in another direction. But, whatever we do, no more excuses should be made. And they won’t be necessary as long as we make some moves to attempt to improve this team. .
Sounds like Boston may be sitting back patiently waiting to see what Miami’s best offer is so it can 1) drive up the price Miami has to pay by showing interest or 2) make a better offer at the last minute and ride off into the sunset with Giannis.
The longer this drags on the greater the chance one of the NBA’s top teams with better assets swoops in and makes Milwaukee an offer it can’t refuse. That is what Bucks are waiting/hoping for.
Where would that leave Miami?
giannis praising mazula alot no love for spobot
So you take a report about Mazzulla and somehow extrapolate it into ‘no love for Spobot”? Stop.
Giannis is just messing with peoples minds. He loves all the attention. He hasn’t been in the news so much lately since Bucks have sucked so he’s in no rush for a trade. He also wants to see if a team with a better chance of winning a ring than Miami makes a better offer.
Meanwhile, Milwaukee is trying to squeeze every possible ounce of blood out of Miami or any other team interested in Giannis. Reminds of the Lillard/Portland situation a couple of years ago.
In the position you want. 🙂
My practice is to always have a back-up plan. Riley hasn’t had one the past several years when he has gone whale hunting. I’m not assuming a damn thing. Anyone who does may be in for a very rude awakening. Plan B is almost important as plan A. What exactly is Riley’s Plan B: Run it back?
plan b is for plan bust.dont get greek might as well fold up tent for a while.
spurs main problem is theres no robin for wemby.all these youngens are sporadically good not one consistent 20 pt guy.if they had a guy like norm believe they beat nyk
No defense. Wouldn’t fit. That’s what Fox was brought in for.
if he tried he could do it.hes a great athlete.hes better than fox and right now better than the youngens
He’s getting older. He doesn’t have the skill or the athleticism to defend well. Like Herro, he’s a scorer, with less rebounding and assists. I thought you didn’t like onewayers. What happened?
norms not as bad on d as u think.thats my opinion aint changing
Norms scores and that’s it. He doesn’t rebound or create for others. He’s still good at what he does, but he is definitely a onewayer.
i dont see his d that bad he doesnt pass to much that is def true
Google his defensive rankings by year. They have steadily decreased from above average to below average. He ain’t no spring chicken.
eye test my man how the f u rate defense with all switching.and herror and unc blow bys.watch the games make your own opinions.youve watched enough bball over da years.or just listen to whatever rc says.piggyback off him youll be in good shape
hes now no offense cant shoot to good
12?
Ha! After last night, maybe less than that.
Side note. Now that Jimmy Butler is personal non grata in Heat Nation, kind of funny KAT is on the verge of winning a ring. If that happens, KAT should give him a shout out. 😉
Quitters never win.
Wiggins lacks shot creation and floor spacing (??) when those are two things he excels at. He’s a former No. 1 option who is now a 3&D wing, and those creation skills haven’t left and they bailed out the Miami offense this year. He just had the best shooting season of his career (41.4% 3FG, 55.9% EFG). He’s an ideal fit at 3 with a Bam and Giannis frontcourt, crazy to suggest otherwise.
He also plays SG. It will be interesting to see how Miami fills out the roster if it trades for Giannis.
please no quentin grimes hes below average.anybody on our team not named jovic better baller than grimes.keshad gard both better and younger.these two given pt will be fine theres no examples of them niko suking
biggest concern with norm is constant breaking down second half of season.so just sign wiggy let pelle gard divy up 2g minutes with jaco backing up dav.possibly get ja for cheap.once u get a ss it opens up the flood gates for other dudes to come south demar derozan would be somebody id be looking at.i can assure you greek will not be the only name we will get for next years team.expect 4 new players at least contributing.
Its crazy to suggest that fits with Bam and Giannis. His game is going inside to score..and despite having great shooting year, he is not real shooter. Giannis does the same at higher level, you dont need two alike in the same lineup. Around duo of Bam and Giannis you need guards like Kas and Powell. For a small forward, Pelle is a better fit.. if nothing else, becuase he is 10 times cheaper.
He’s a 36.5% shooter from three for his career, and I don’t have the advanced stats in front of me but I wonder what his off the dribble versus assisted shooting numbers were. I can’t imagine with Giannis his looks from three would get worse (in fact I’m pretty sure giannis was pretty high up in the percentage of his team’s assisted 3s this past season.)
I agree with 2015Heat, Wiggins is exactly the type of player to pair with Bam and Giannis because it would give the team a lot of flexibility in the final two line up spots because of Wiggins defensive versatility. $30 million a year is expensive for his production, maybe there’s a way to make the contract work for the team.
Giannis will go downhill, because that’s his game, so there is no much space for another one, which prefers to do the same. Having Wiggins waiting on perimeter for shooting 7-8 threes a game is waste of his talent. 3p specialist can do the same better and much cheaper then him.
So Bam can’t share the paint with him?
Having Bam and Giannis means, you have two point forwars/centers, which will probably share playmaking duties over the game. When Giannis is in charge, Bam should move out to give space Giannis to operate, and vice versa. Giannis needs more space, so Bam in the corner is a good solution. Bam should play post ups and looking for midrange, in this case Giannis should be around the rim, because he is useless outside, for a rebound or assist.
In defence, both can guard 1-5 and are good defenders. The rest of the starting lineup should be filled with a wing , which can do a bit of everything, two excellent shooters, at5 least one of them also a good defender. Kas, Powell and Pelle fits exactly in.
bam giannis best pf/c combo in nba?name some better
Wiggins averaged 6.2 points in the paint last year, 6th on the Heat after Jaquez, Bam, Herro, Powell, Ware. Among guards and wings he had a lower % of paint points at 40.4 than Jaquez 64.4, Larsson 53, Davion 48, Dru Smith 45.6, Herro 41.1
He shot 38% 3FG or better in 4 of last 6 years. Larsson and Wiggins is a really good wing duo, but Larsson in his first two years is not the shooter Wiggins is and not close.
Think like Bam, Wiggins could potentially excel playing off of Giannis on offense. He already proved he could do that role on GSW with Curry.
Most of players excels in a part of the game, and then they are adding others skills. But primary skills remains the most favoured way to score.
Wiggins will never be a shooter, he is a rim runner, which can also shoot at high % form distance. And there is a player like Dunc, which is an elite shooter, but he also learned how to go to the rim. My claim is, that Duncs type can fit better in lineup with Bam and freak. Kas and Powell might have worse % then Wiggins, but they are far better shooters then him. Count in Pelle, which can do most of defense of Wigins and half of his scoring, and you have a well balanced starting 5. Money, saved by Wiggins trade, can be used for good bench players.
The key is whether Wiggins, in the event Miami does trade for Giannis, is willing to make the salary work. If he is he’s a starter for the team, and will play an immensely valuable role–his “x-factor” skill won’t be shooting or driving to me. His impact will ultimately be determined by how well he can play a passing/connector role out of secondary actions or when the offense slows down.
I see him as a pure scorer. The ball going to him rarely came back, so passing, connecting is not exactly his thing. I see Pelle doing this better then him.
I see Jaime doing it better than either.
Players evolve. Their games grow. That’s why I said it’s an x-factor. A development that would be surprising if it happened even if it’s obvious that it’s needed.
All true. He was an X factor in one season GS won it all, as a 4th player behind Curry, Thompson and Green. I dont think he can be that with Heat.
Talking about passing/playmaking, Heat are sure going to miss Jaime’s (as well as his paint points and rebounding).
id rather give up pelle or jaco than jjj
How is Wiggins not a shooter when he averages around 38% from 3 and 5 attempts per game? On the Heat only Jakucionis has a higher % this year and on fewer attempts. And how is he a rim runner when 60% of his scoring is outside the paint. He was lower in paint point % than everyone on the Heat except Jovic, Powell, Fontecchio, Jakucionis.
Even on a team with Giannis, SGA etc you need multiple players who can create their own shot, playoffs shows that every year. Wiggins can get a good shot any time he wants. Over half (54%) of his 2pt makes this year were unassisted, higher than Herro and Powell.
Larsson this year in playoffs would have been guarded like Josh Hart, but Wiggins can’t be left open on the perimeter. If it’s a question of who fits on the team based on contract that’s a different issue than who fits based on on court skillset (hopefully both)
It’s too early to tell what the roster will look like until after the Giannis situation is resolved. There could be multiple trades, teams and players involved before all is said and done.
He is a shooter, but not an elite one or specialists. He gets his 2s and 3p, true, but often other teams dont care about it. Wiggins can make harm in different ways, but really dangerous he is when you let him to the rim.
Miami can’t afford to have weak defensive links like Herro or Powell. They are too easy to target during the playoffs.
Heat can pick up a couple of 3 point one way specialists (such as Buddy Hield, even Alec Burkes) for vet minimum or a little more than that.
I agree.
OG had an amazing game. I always hoped the Heat would get him. I’ve felt the same about Siakam. My new wish list player is Ayo Dosunmu.
I think they will be using the MLE to pay for Portis. I don’t know how much money they will have available after the proposed trade.
Yeah, well, I didn’t get the other 2 either lol.
Three excellent two way second to third option types.
From Yahoo Sports.
Fox, one of the fastest players in the NBA, chased the ball down with about 13 seconds remaining on the clock.
It was at that point the nine-year veteran had a couple choices: a) dribble the ball away from the Knicks, who will likely foul you and give you a chance to put your team up by three without much time left, b) call your final timeout for a chance to reset everything and put the ball in the hands of your best free throw shooter or c) go for the lay-up with OG Anunoby, a very good defender, breathing down your neck.
Fox chose option “c.” His reward was a block by Anunoby and Knicks ball.
One near-backcourt violation by Knicks guard Jose Alvarado later, New York inbounded the ball and took the lead off a tip-in by Anunoby with 1.2 seconds left. The Spurs failed to muster a shot in response, handing the Knicks the kind of win that might not only decide this series, but effectively end it.
Agree 1000%! We had that conversation here. It was a boneheaded play by a rep who should know better.
Getting $260.2M over 5 years. His contract is from 2025-2026 to 2029-2030.
**not rep, veteran!
pat goes to toronto gets lowry knicks go to toronto they get og.oh to be a heat fan now but that could change in 12 days
heat4life goes to Ocean Drive, gets crabs. Film at 11.
think its story at 11 btw.as far as i know no street here named ocean drive unless they changed collins ave name over the years.im a salmon guy btw.
A.I. isn’t always right.
He was doing EXACTLY what hfl has said many times – kiss your ss azz and give him anything he wants to make him happy.
anything he wants…including your dignity and self-respect.
If it was me, I would say:
“If you want to play for Miami, cool. If you want me to kiss your @$$, gfy.”
That’s what happened. Some people forget the context. I always said it was the start of our downfall.
looked like a back court on alvarado end of game how was that not pls explain
I saw the same thing. Shocked it wasn’t reviewed. But the whole team and coaches are to blame.
when u have wemby pretty ez to be a decent coach.if mr deep voice thinks mr dum ass nikolai bryant better baller than harrison barnes oh well glad he played bryant cause rooting for knicks makes it easier for us to get greek.ive heard him say hes been dreaming about playing in msg since he was a little kid.in greece.but for whatever reason he likes the heat culture(aka miamis a beautiful intl city with more hottys per sq ft than any city outside of kotor montenegro )
I don’t think Giannis would be coming to Miami for the hotties.
deep voice could have challenged that.or refs def should have.thats fishy id have to see again if ball was in front court and then went to back court.
The refs have been letting a bunch of fouls go. Sure a lot of shoving and grabbing going on. I guess that is playoff basketball in 2026.
Maybe with Bam, Giannis, Portis and if pick #41 is a tough PF/C, Heat will be able to bang with the best of them. Mitchell, Larsson, Wiggins, Giannis and Bam would be a pretty good defensive starting unit. Together with Jakucionis, Gardner, Portis it makes a decent 8 man rotation. Not a one way player in the bunch.
Hopefully, Johnson comes into his own and Goldin gets a few minutes of playing time next season. Who knows what additional players the budget will allow. Smith is a good insurance policy at PG if needed.
Don’t forget we would have a trade exception too, so we could use that on grimes, and possibly can get a young 3&d player like Keon Ellis for the low, and get a vet for the low low in Hardaway.
daarion fox will not be a spur next year i dont want him in miami
Nba is rigged ik that ain’t nothing new but seriously that’s a generational/historical loss of epic proportions. Wemby miss 2 fts, and fox tries to score instead of holding the ball, for a pg that was a generational bone headed poor IQ MOVE, plus a terrible inbound pass. After the series someone getting traded, and fired. I don’t like the Knicks and there heathen fan base smh. So Ig that means giannis ain’t going there now, which Is good for us. I’m not a spurs fan but that loss was painful and shameful, and might derail that franchise. Pop would never let that happen.
fox gets fouled the way he shoots it prob misses one at least.not sure what happened to him sort of like what happened to rozier to a lesser degree.
Fox getting traded low ass iq for a pg
gonna go down as a top 3 dum play all time in the finals.jr smith play i remember .
Fox took took Smith spot now, and fox getting paid the most on the team, so much for having a vet lol. His trade value just took a hit too.
Fox ain’t going anywhere. He’s in the first year of a 5 year/$260.2M contract which expires in 2030. Herro sounds like a bargain next to him.
$260M sure doesn’t get you what it used to.
18.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 6.2 apg, 33.2 3-pt%
These crazy salaries are ruining basketball. A large chunk of the population can’t even afford NBA League Pass or cable channels, much less to attend a live game.
Shid u ain’t lying about that, I’m glad we never got him, but yes you right, these salaries definitely ruining the sport, and it will only get worst.
Even colleges are paying athletes. I don’t want to get into the involvement of gambling in sports. Worse than ever.
Greed and gambling are destroying sports. I remember a time when only boxing was corrupt.
Now a lot of things are corrupt like the president trump.
I agree with most. Except, if I choose between rigged and stupid, I say stupid. Up by 29 and lose? Shame on Spurs, congrats to Knicks, they earned it.
I say both stupid and rigged and luck. Even Barkley said that was the dumbest performance from a team he’s ever seen in his life. That type of loss will derail a franchise and that coach had a disaster class, spurs fans already calling for mitch head.
That’s what you call inexperience (both the coach and the players). They propably went in at halftime confident that game was in the bag. They let up a little and tried to caost to victory. Knicks never quit. I remember when they were down by 22 with 7.5 minutes left vs Cleveland and came back to win.
The Spurs learned a very valuable lesson. Who knows, they may kick it into another level entirely. I wouldnt count them out just yet. The next game will tell us a lot. They will either come out very intense and breathing fire or they will lower their heads and throw the towel in the first time they get behind.
12 of 20 shots 3rd were 3s believe they made 2.shooting most shots with 10 seconds or less left on shot clock.inexperience from players and mr deep voice,i think mr deep voice is not hc material.if im the owner his ars is gone.this is a loss that could have lingering effects.its like getting in a very bad car accident every time u go to drive its in the back of your mind.on a side note after watching wemby play and are soon to be ss.right now id rather have greek for the next 3 years ,wemby is a dirty player and very ez to move out freakishly skinny and tall susceptible to injuries in the future,wait unti we watch the unstoppable greek.every night ive never seen any one guy shut him down.its impossible.he might even make niko playable when hes on the court.everybody will be better with him especially the fans.
No mas Jovic. He will be part of the trade, hopefully. Too much money. Savings can be used elsewhere, such as Portis.
Totally embarrassing for the Spurs. Kudos to the Knicks. Brings us one big step closer to a likely welcoming of Giannis.
12 days now portis coming to hopefully wow
i would say 100% if pop was the coach thats a w
comeback of the century.
tip in of the decade
og annonoby might be best defender in nba hes incred
hart missed a bunny no blockout wow.they lose this its on him
go nyk we need wemby
2qbn run never fails nyk 13 straight pts
True but this is where we end it lol
not tonight
wemby one flagrant from being suspended
disastrous first half .if nyk loses this series greek going to ny ramps up.
nikolai bryant one dum ass coach
comeon knicks we need greek.no greek here major disappointment..
Barry Jackson on a potential deal that sends both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to the Miami Heat:
The Heat showed some degree of interest in Portis years ago. A hypothetical trade sending Ware, Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Nikola Jovic to the Bucks for Antetokounmpo and Portis would work within the rules of the cap because Miami is well below the tax and first apron and can take back about $12 million more than it sends out.
This trade scxenario makes much more sense for Miami. I’ve had my eye on Portis for a few years. The Heat will be able to keep Larsson and Jakucionis, while getting rid of Herro and Jovic. Jaquez is due for an extension, which the Bucks may be willing to offer him once he demonstrates his value to them. However, the trade may need to be effective after the trade deadline when the new Jovic contract kicks in.
Returning rotation players:
Mitchell, Larsson, Bam, Giannis, Portis, Jakucionis
Other possible returning players:
Wiggins, Powell, Fontecchio, Smith, Johnson, Gardner, Young
Total Cap Space: TBD
portis old bucks dont need him we got a 3 -4 year window for jewelry id be doing back flips we got portis also,if we would have gotten portis instead of pajamas i might have met rc by now on bisc blvd
Pajamas? Winslow?
pj tucker u didnt know that lebron might have to start calling u d wade
Biggest bully wins tonight. Wemby has a bullseye on his back.
Hopefully, Miami doesn’t trade away the potential PG of the future (Jakucionis) in the Giannis deal. Right now, it seems Herro, Ware, Jovic and either Jaquez or Larsson would do the trick. Trading away 2 of 3 (Jaquez, Larsson or Jakucionis) would be a mistake. Four first round players, 3 or 4 of (Herro, Ware, Jaquez, and possibly Jakucionis) which could be lottery picks in re-drafts plus 3 first round picks, one of which (2026) is a lottery pick seems excessive, even for Giannis.
As it now appears, if the trade goes through, Mitchell, Giannis and Bam would be starters. After that is anyone’s guess.
I have a feeling if NY loses today and eventually chokes the series away, they will be all in on a Giannis trade. That’s what the Bucks are apparently waiting/hoping for in order to drive the price up and squeeze every last drop of assets out of the team they ultimately trade Gianniis to.
I sure do hope Riley is prepared to pursue other options if that happens.The fact he is not bringing in top 10-20 draft prospects for workouts and evaluations tells me he has already put all his eggs in the Giannis basket.
Hopefully, our questions will be answered soon.
NY can only replace KAT with Giannis. What Bucks can get out of KAT? Not much more then flip him to Miami for far less then if they send Giannis.
I think Knicks can pull in a third team and give Bucks much more than that. SA and Houston can do better than NY. It ain’t over til the fat lady sings.
Wiggins doesn’t makes sense in either case. If there is a Giannis trade, he is not a player to have playing along Giannis and Bam, especially not at his price… you need an elite perimeter shooters, not a wing which likes to go inside. . Giannis is far better with that.
If there is no Giannis, then most vets should go. Wiggins could be traded for payers, which fits more than him.
Pity, he did his job in Miami, but he is a bit too expensive and not exactly what Heat needs.
He and Jovic and a pick for Kahwi plus Herro for Beef Stew, a filler plus a pick sounds about right. The Detroit pick could go to the Clippers as part of Kawai trade. Sounds about right to me
Kawhi must end the investigation first. Otherwise I like both trades.
Miami would probably need to trade for him knowing there will possibly still be repercussions. At least this time, unlike the Rozier trade, the Heat would go in with their eyes open. That pending matter can’t help but reduce Kahwi’s trade value. It’s worth the gamble.
I wouldn’t do it. Obviously, there was something fishy in this case, he gets big money for nothing. He knows about it, and people around him knows about that. League needs to put an example for such practice, so big punishment for all involved is certain.