NBA Trade Grades: Heat finally capture their whale, land Giannis Antetokounmpo

At long last, after months (and perhaps years) of haggling with the Milwaukee Bucks, the Miami Heat have finally captured their whale, acquiring two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks less than 24 hours before the NBA Draft.

The end of the July 6 moratorium is still over two weeks away, so this deal could expand with other subsequent deals linked to this one. But for now, this is a six-player, five-pick swap.

Let’s grade the trade!

Miami Heat receive: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis

Skinny: It was beyond time for the Miami Heat to pick a direction. As much as I would’ve liked them to properly manage their assets better, the Heat weren’t going to consolidate players for picks, nor were they going to tank or take on bad contracts laced with draft capital.

They also weren’t going anywhere with this roster. They were stuck in quicksand.

Assuming those were the circumstances, finally acquiring a star was the only palatable route to contention. They tried to acquire Damian Lillard in 2023 before these same Bucks snuck in at the 11th hour and undercut Miami. They also chased Kevin Durant last summer with some degree of alleged interest in James Harden and Donovan Mitchell in the past.

But Giannis Antetokounmpo was the Heat’s white whale. And this is a franchise that’s known for capturing stars — from Alonzo Mourning to Shaquille O’Neal to LeBron James and Chris Bosh. Truthfully, that’s all this organization knows. An MVP still in his prime rarely gets traded — let alone a two-time MVP in Antetokounmpo, even though he’s coming off the most injury-plagued season of his career.

Still, the 10-time All-Star averaged 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game last season. He set career highs in field goal (62.4) and true-shooting percentage (65.8), albeit in a smaller sample. All in all, he’s still in the prime of his career.

However, it’s fair to have some questions about his health. He missed 46 games –including the Bucks’ final 15 — with a calf injury. I’m no doctor, but the calf is directly attached to the achilles, and several calf injuries are precursor to torn achilles. At his size, with him pushing his mid-30s, that’s a huge concern.

I also have a lot of questions about how the Heat fill out their roster. Outside of the vet minimum, they have few avenues to add … with little draft capital to spare, even though they have their first-round pick in three of the next four seasons. And they have plenty of holes.

But, at the end of the day, Miami has a lot of work still left, but they got their guy. At his best, Antetokounmpo is a perennial MVP candidate capable of averaging 30-12-6-1-1. Those guys don’t grow on trees. And he will now be paired with a mad scientist in Erik Spoelstra and a lynchpin in Bam Adebayo.

I would be remiss if I pushed the Portis element of this to the side. He’s not a great defender. But Miami sorely lacked a backup big, and Portis figures to be a hybrid 4/5 off the bench behind Antetokounmpo and Adebayo. He’s streaky, but has typically been good in the mid-post with improved touch from 3-point range. I am a fan of this add.

Grade: A-

Bucks receive: Kel’el Ware, Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, No. 13 overall, 2 First Round Picks, One Future Swap, 2033 Second-Round Pick

Skinny: Parting ways with a superstar is always difficult. But parting ways with a Bucks icon and arguably the greatest player in your franchise’s history is an entirely different deal. So I do, genuinely, feel for Bucks fans.

However, they didn’t do bad work — even though there’s a couple of factors that will dock their final grade.

For one, I still don’t love this player package they received, objectively. We’ll see if they’ll be able rehabilitate some of Tyler Herro’s value after he appeared in just 33 games last year. Theoretically, as a No. 1 scorer, Herro will it up. He’s improved as a slasher and playmaker. But his upside is capped, and I don’t envy the next organization that will be negotiating his extension — whether it’s Milwaukee or someone else.

He’s a good player; he’s just flawed and his archetype is one that’s no longer valued. Perhaps there’s a world where the Bucks are able to flip him — either this summer or at the deadline — for more assets. That possibility always exists, especially if he has a strong start to the season.

Kel’el Ware has all the tools to be a special player. But his wildly inconsistent motor and feel for the game leave plenty to be desired. He has the tools to be a great rebounder, vertical spacer, shot-blocker and 3-point shooter. But his biggest issue exists between the ears. Ware is only 22-years-old, so there’s still plenty of time to mature — both physically and mentally. If he can figure either out, he’s golden. But that’s a sizable if. His consistency was always a huge problem, which led to plenty of benchings. It dates back to the beginning of his freshman season at Oregon; this wasn’t just a two-year deal.

Those are the two I have the most reservations about — even though there is worthwhile upside for Milwaukee (or someone else).

Jaime Jaquez Jr. was a Sixth Man of the Year candidate and will be due for an extension this summer. He has plenty of value if his late-season shooting spurt this year carries over.

As we previously outlined, the inclusion of Jakucionis was quite important. He’s still raw, but it would not surprise me one bit if he’s the best player of the bunch that was dealt. He has the tools to be an outstanding lead guard, should he continue to grow as a ballhandler and playmaker. His was an elite spot-up shooter (on modest volume) and was one of the Heat’s point-of-attack defenders last year. He also won’t have to be paid for another two more seasons, giving Milwaukee another cost-controlled contract to build with.

The Heat’s most valuable asset was their No. 13 overall pick in Tuesday’s draft, which is ***checks watch*** … ***checks watch again*** … less than 17 hours away! The Bucks’ history in the draft under general manager Jon Horst is abhorrent. But perhaps they can stumble into an impactful player at 13. There will be plenty of enticing names likely available.

Milwaukee was never going to win a trade with Antetokounmpo as an expiring. But it didn’t do bad work here, all things considered.

Grade: B-

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