The Miami Heat’s pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo is no secret to the NBA community. Since early last season, Pat Riley and the front-office have been plotting and preparing plans to lure him to their team when he becomes a free agent in the summer of 2021.
But signing Giannis comes at a cost for Miami, who is coming off a Finals appearance with their current roster. To sign the superstar outright, without a sign and trade, the Heat will have to trade three young players and decline the team options for three more.
Only way now to sign Giannis without SIGN&TRADE if cap is $112.4 M: Next summer, trade Herro, Duncan, Nunn, KZ for draft picks after '21 and decline team options for Dragic/Iggy/Meyers. Team then Butler, Bam, Giannis, 9 others (minimums,exception money): https://t.co/fXlKGFZuHn
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) November 24, 2020
And Duncan/Nunn being restricted FAs would complicate that; more likely they would just need to be cast aside and not-resigned. So you would get a draft pick for Herro. That's why sign and trade for Giannis, Oladipo, etc. is more likely course.
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) November 24, 2020
Antetokounmpo will no doubt be looking for max dollars in the offseason, something that the Heat were prepared to offer before the Baam extension. The contract essentially weakened Miami’s cap flexibility going forward, making it harder for them to sign Giannis as a free agent in ’21. If you’re a GM, it’s worth considering whether trading six players of a Finals roster is worth getting a guy who hasn’t yet made it past the final round of the Eastern Conference playoff bracket.
It is also possible that none of it matters anyway. Since Bam and Giannis share the same agent, Adebayo inking that long-term extension might be a sign that the Greek Freak has no intention of taking his talents to South Beach.
It’s an unfortunate blow for the Heat, but their roster is primed to compete even without another superstar. With Adebayo, Butler, and a slew of impressively talented role-players, they are fully capable of meeting their goals just as they are.
