The Miami Heat now possess not only one of the best frontcourt duos in the Eastern Conference, but in the NBA, after acquiring two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo earlier this week.
While the trade hasn’t been made official by the league yet (it won’t until July 6), Antetokounmpo wasted no time spending time with his new teammate in Las Vegas less than 24 hours after the deal was made. Antetokounmpo was seen with Adebayo to support Adebayo’s girlfriend, Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson, against the New York Liberty.
Doesn’t this just make your spine tingle?
Antetokounmpo headlined a six-player, five-pick package that sent Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kasparas Jakucionis to the Milwaukee Bucks. As of right now, it’s just a two-team deal, although it has the potential to expand ahead of the end of the July 6 moratorium.
The Heat still have a lot of holes to plug offensively over the next several weeks. But the two-time MVP is expected to vault them into the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference. It goes without saying that Miami will need both their co-stars to stay healthy for that to remain the case.
Antetokounmpo missed 46 games last year with a calf injury.
Those two are also expected to buoy a Heat defense, that cratered over the last six weeks of last season, into a top-5 unit. By retaining Davion Mitchell, Pelle Larsson and, potentially, Andrew Wiggins, Miami’s defense could be incredibly disruptive. Though we’ll see what other decisions follow over the next few months leading into the new season.
Miami is relevant again. And that’s all that matters, even though the work has just begun.
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So nice to see that camaraderie. Good chemistry on a team is important, like good players.
Absolutely! A touch of humility doesn’t hurt either.
They must be excited. They are each about to team up with the best player they have played with in their NBA.careers.