Basketball

Latest in Heat's Giannis saga feels like a Bucks bluff

By Adel Burton Sports Illustrated

The Giannis Antetokounmpo saga drags on with only 6 days left until the 2026 NBA Draft. That is the self-imposed deadline Milwaukee has set. The Miami Heat by all accounts still have the best offer on the table to acquire the former Finals MVP.

The Heat are rumored to be offering a package that includes up to 3 first round picks, a pair of pick swaps, Kel'el Ware, Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr and Pelle Larsson. The deal seems to be complicated by reports of the Bucks not wanting to extend the hometown guy in Tyler Herro and want to reroute him elsewhere.

In recent weeks other teams have been rumored to be jumping into the high stake's poker game. Boston is seen as the most series contender with the centerpiece of their trade being Jaylen Brown. The second half of Boston's dynamic duo. The other teams like Portland and Hoston don't make a lot of sense because it has already leaked Giannis won't sign an extension out west. Orlando is seen as a dark horse challenger because he would still be in Florida and his family loves it there.

The Heat still appear to be the front runners and for a multitude of reasons this smoke from other teams seems like leverage plays to drive the price up and gut the Heat's roster. This benefits Milwaukee in their rebuild and the contenders to the Heat by slowing the progress of building around Giannis.

The latest leak of information came from the very credible Chris Haynes who has family ties to Giannis. He said "From what I'm hearing this could drag on into free agency. This could drag on until July…. Boston seems a little bit from what I'm hearing and gauging, Boston doesn't seem a promising destination…. I do still believe he will be moved this offseason but I'm not as certain as I was before that it'd be done before the draft"

In poker we call this a bluff. I believe that he is hearing this from insiders, but I believe it comes from the Bucks side of things. The angle here is to drive the price up and try and pry another asset away from the Heat. Kasparas Jakucionis could be that piece.

Kas was listed as the top prospect that General Managers missed on right after the draft in a survey answered by NBA GM's around the league. This would make sense that the Bucks would want NBA ready players considering the abysmal draft history since Jon Horst became GM.

Personally, my money is on the bluff. I will pose a question to you, the fan. You are the general manager. Why, would you risk your best offer (The Heat offer) getting weakened after the draft for an offer that may never come?

The Heat's offer gets worse once the draft happens. If no deal is in place they pick a player that fits their build not what Milwaukee is trying to build.

That means you only get picks farther away because of the Stepien rule. The 2027 pick is what would make it tricky. It has pick protections 1-14 anything other than that the pick convey's to the Hornets. Would you be willing to push the first draft pick you get for Giannis back to 2028? That is a long wait to attempt a rebuild.

My best guess is this thing gets done by draft night. This benefits everyone. The Bucks, Giannis and the Miami Heat. You don't gamble on a team springing up out of the ether. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

You can follow me on X @DigitalAdel and listen to my podcast, DigitalAdelHoops on Youtube



This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/heat/onsi as Latest in Heat's Giannis saga feels like a Bucks bluff.

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This story was originally published June 18, 2026 at 4:24 AM.

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