Anyone hoping that Giannis Antetokounmpo’s recent trip to Miami was in preparation for a potential trade to the Miami Heat will be sorely disappointed to realize he had other business at South Beach.
After fans posted images of Antetokounmpo touching down in Miami earlier this week, Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press noted the two-time NBA MVP was in town for “off-court business” that includes content related to the FIFA World Cup.
There does appear to be some smoke between the Heat and Antetokounmpo as the Milwaukee Bucks figure out their best path forward.
Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints (starts at 17:15 mark) reported on Thursday that Bucks ownership is ready to trade Antetokounmpo before the NBA draft, with people around the league citing the Heat as the frontrunner to acquire him.
There has been some pushback to the Heat as the favorite, with The Athletic’s Sam Amick saying on The Dan Patrick Show that Antetokounmpo has “questions” about what Miami’s roster would look like on the other side of a deal.
Amick also mentioned the Boston Celtics as a “pretty intriguing option” for Antetokounmpo.
All of this certainly points to an Antetokounmpo deal happening at some point this summer, particularly with the draft approaching on June 23, but the hope that any sort of agreement might come because of his recent visit to Miami seems to be premature.
