Yes, the Miami Heat appear to be the leaders in the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade race, but they are not alone. With just a few weeks until the NBA Draft, which is when the Milwaukee Bucks would love this all to be solved by, rumors are, ironically, heating up. If the Heat want to guarantee that they land the star, they need him to make it clear that he won't sign an extension with non-Miami teams.
Giannis' preference will factor into any trade outcome
Giannis isn't landing somewhere he doesn't want to go. If a team he doesn't want to join explores the idea of trading for him, he can just say, "I'm not signing an extension," and scare them off. It's really as simple as that. Very few, if any, teams would give up what it would take for Giannis just to guarantee he is on the payroll for one season.
While nothing is concrete, Miami feels like one of the teams Giannis would ink a long-term deal with if he were to be traded. The chatter has been present for years. On the other hand, there are question marks about teams like Portland and Orlando. Per Marc Stein's latest (subscription required), Portland is pursuing Giannis, while many wonder if Orlando will get involved after recent developments.
Do either of those teams appeal to Antetokounmpo? Or would he go to Milwaukee's front office and have them relay the message that he's not signing there, signaling that Miami is his true desire? That second option appears to be what the Heat are counting on.
Giannis has not yet made his intentions clear
It must be noted that throughout all of this trade chatter, Giannis Antetokounmpo has not made a list of teams he would sign an extension with—at least not publicly. Right now, there is a chance he would be open to a handful of different destinations. Miami would likely be one of them, but what's stopping Portland or Orlando from also making the list?
Sure, with the Western Conference becoming a powerhouse, especially with Victor Wembanyama's rise to stardom, it would make sense if Giannis wanted to stay in the East. Does Miami make a huge difference compared to Orlando? The weather is great in either place, as is the lack of a state income tax. Unless Giannis desperately wants to play with Bam Adebayo, Orlando has a fine case here.
Perhaps that relationship with Adebayo could be what favors Miami—at least that's what the Heat better hope if they want to get this over the finish line.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.
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