The Milwaukee Bucks might be entering their last offseason with franchise cornerstone Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the roster. The Bucks are reportedly listening to trade offers for Antetokounmpo after strong rumors followed Antetokounmpo’s 2025-26 season with the Bucks, where the franchise went 32-50 and missed the NBA Play-In Tournament in the Eastern Conference.
The list of suitors for Antetokounmpo is long and presumed to feature teams like the New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, and LA Clippers, among others. Another one of the leading names linked to Antetokounmpo is the Miami Heat. The Heat have saved up assets over the years and have plenty of future picks to offer Milwaukee, as confirmed by Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
“The Heat would be able to include three first-round picks and multiple pick swaps in a trade offer to the Bucks for Antetokounmpo if a deal is agreed to before the draft. The Heat would be able to use its first-round selection in this year’s draft to make a pick for the Bucks, and could also include its 2030 and 2032 first-round picks as part of the trade package for Antetokounmpo. NBA teams are only allowed to trade picks up to seven drafts into the future.”
Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix has also confirmed that the Heat are expected to be ‘first in line’ when it comes to presenting an offer for Antetokounmpo this summer.
Miami’s well-stocked cupboard of future assets could sweeten any player package they might have to offer. It’s fair to assume that every player outside of Bam Adebayo would be made readily available if the Heat were given a realistic chance at creating a trade package for Antetokounmpo.
Scenario 1
Bleacher Report has previously suggested a trade like this to get Antetokounmpo to Miami.
Miami Heat Receive: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Milwaukee Bucks Receive: Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Nikola Jovic, 2026 First-Round Pick (MIA), 2030 First-Round Pick (MIA), 2032 First-Round Pick (MIA)
This would be a very competitive offer for Antetokounmpo ($58,456,566), sending Wisconsin-native Tyler Herro ($33,000,000) back to his home state after averaging 20.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.1 assists last season. The 26-year-old could become a core piece of the Bucks’ rebuild or spend a few seasons showcasing his talents as a scoring combo guard with the franchise to boost his trade value for another trade down the line.
Kel’el Ware ($4,654,920) would be a non-negotiable inclusion in this package. Ware averaged 11.1 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks last season, shining as a high-potential big man but finding himself at-odds with Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and the franchise’s infamous Heat Culture. The 22-year-old could become a new franchise piece for the Bucks if his production can live up to the obvious all-around talent he’s shown on the court.
Nikola Jovic ($16,200,000) joins as essentially a salary filler, averaging 7.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists last season after falling out of the rotation by the end of the year. The 22-year-old is considered a high-potential big man still, so maybe a few years on the Bucks with low expectations can help him find his feet once again.
Three first-round picks are a competitive offer with three players who still have clear developmental upside, but a competitive market could force the Heat to offer up a pick swap or two, if not multiple second-round picks. This allows the Heat to pair Antetokounmpo with Adebayo to form arguably the strongest frontcourt partnership in the NBA.
Giannis averaged 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.4 assists last season with the Bucks, proving he’s still one of the most efficient scorers in the NBA. With Adebayo as a primary defender and Antetokounmpo as a help defender, the Heat would be able to shut almost any offense down in the NBA.
Herro’s absence likely means Kasparas Jakucionis is pushed in as a starter early in his development, while Norman Powell remains on the roster as the leading perimeter scorer, and Andrew Wiggins remains as the perfect 3-and-D wing to round this team out.
Scenario 2
Miami Heat Receive: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Milwaukee Bucks Receive: Andrew Wiggins, Kel’el Ware, Nikola Jovic, Kasparas Jakucionis, 2026 First-Round Pick (MIA), 2030 First-Round Pick (MIA), 2032 First-Round Pick (MIA)
The Heat need a versatile guard like Herro on offense to stay with their franchise more than they need Andrew Wiggins ($30,169,644), who has a player option on his contract that he’s expected to exercise. While Herro would be a more exciting asset than Wiggins, the Heat make it right in this deal by maintaining the same pick package but also adding Jakucionis.
Jakucionis ($3,841,680) is a high-potential 19-year-old guard who averaged 6.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists last season, with some pegging him to have All-Star potential in the NBA. The Bucks have the space to develop his skills, and could yield the benefits a few seasons from now rather than serving as a temporary home for Herro as he enters his late-20s.
Wiggins would join the Bucks as an expiring contract after the team option on his contract for the 2026-27 season is exercised to include him in this trade. He averaged 15.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists last season with the Heat, and would primarily be a future trade piece for the Bucks to send to a contender for more assets. Or, they could let him play out the season and enter free agency in 2027, but it’s more plausible they trade him to a contender that can use his three-and-D skills on the wing.
The Bucks are better-off keeping two dynamic scorers like Herro and Powell on the roster, alongside a defense-oriented guard like Davion Mitchell for optionality. Jaime Jaquez Jr. can step into Wiggins’ starting role with Antetokounmpo and Adebayo rounding out what could be one of the strongest rosters in the NBA next season.
Conclusion
The Heat have arguably the most interesting pieces to offer the Bucks when it comes to an Antetokounmpo trade. The Bucks could feasibly believe that Herro, Ware, Jovic, Jaquez, and Jakucionis are all plus-value young players that could develop into real pieces for them long-term.
Bleacher Report’s trade deals with this simply and effectively, with it being hard to imagine a scenario where the Bucks don’t demand Herro as one of the returning pieces. It’s also hard to see why the Heat would let that be a sticking point when negotiating a trade for a two-time league MVP and perennial finalist.
Our package allows the Heat to maintain a much better win-now core by retaining Herro and sending Wiggins with Jakucionis to the Bucks, alongside Ware and Jovic. The Heat have the replacement players for their core rotation already on the roster, while the Bucks get the chance to develop three players with high potential and one who could generate a bidding war among contending teams for his services. Neither package is bad, but the Heat might demand more draft compensation if other teams come in with similarly competitive packages.
Antetokounmpo is expected to be dealt before the 2026 NBA Draft by many, so if the Heat want to maximize their chances at landing the 31-year-old superstar, they need to move fast. What they have to offer is definitely enough, but other teams might try to blow them out of the water to make this happen.
