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What Giannis Antetokounmpo trade means for Heat in Eastern Conference
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- What Giannis Antetokounmpo trade means for Heat in Eastern Conference
Now that Giannis Antetokounmpo is headed to South Beach to play for the Miami Heat in a blockbuster deal less than 24 hours before the NBA draft , the question is whether it makes them instant title contenders.
The quick answer is no. But there are many caveats to that, the biggest being Antetokounmpo's health, as he played only 36 games last season due to a variety of injuries. But when he was in the lineup, he averaged 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists in just under 29 minutes per game.
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The fact that Antetokounmpo wasn't going to sign a contract extension with Milwaukee made this trade inevitable. The 31-year-old two-time MVP will make $58 million this season, and his player option for the 2027-28 season is worth $62 million.
The Heat clearly wants to win now, and Pat Riley is giving up Tyler Herro , who has averaged 20 or more points a game in five straight seasons, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kasparas Jakucionis , along with three first-round picks, one pick swap, and one second-round pick. One of those first-round draft picks is No. 13 in Tuesday's draft.
Riley's patience was clearly wearing thin, even with two NBA Finals appearances this decade. With this trade, the message is loud and clear: that the play-in game is not an option and anything less than a title run is unacceptable.
But the Eastern Conference has the Boston Celtics , still with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum , and the Cleveland Cavaliers , Detroit Pistons , who had the No. 1 seed before flaming out in the second round, and of course, the defending champions , the New York Knicks , figure to be back in the mix before it's all said and done.
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Miami needs to address getting younger and will need someone to distribute the ball efficiently, especially if they don't hand the reins to Davion Mitchell or Dru Smith . Now that Herro is not on the roster, getting a proven 3-point shooter is an absolute must, as Bam Adebayo and Antetokounmpo clog the middle and demand double teams.
Norman Powell is 33 years old and led the Heat in scoring but is an unrestricted free agent. Adebayo is a 20-10 guy each night, but the role players who made Miami a functional, balanced — although underachieving team — are now in Milwaukee. Andrew Wiggins , whose best days might be behind him, is another piece that provides a veteran presence, but he, like Herro, will be on the last year of his contract and might be gone sooner rather than later.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Giannis trade impact: How Heat are impacted after trade with Bucks
