Giannis Antetokounmpo traded to Heat in blockbuster deal before NBA draft
The Greek Freak is taking his talents to South Beach.
The Bucks traded Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Heat in a blockbuster trade late Monday, according to ESPN, ending hours of speculation with Miami and the Celtics emerging as the finalists.
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The Bucks also sent Bobby Portis to Miami in exchange for Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, along with the No. 13 pick in tonight’s draft, a 2033 second-round pick and a pick swap in 2030, according to ESPN.
Boston offered star Jaylen Brown and two first-rounders to the Bucks, according to ESPN.
It has been long speculated that Antetokounmpo’s time in Milwaukee was coming to an end, with drama between both parties occurring throughout the 2025-26 NBA season.
Despite it looking like the Bucks were going to move on from the 10-time All-Star ahead of the trade deadline, they were ultimately unsuccessful in engaging in trade talks in February.
Antetokounmpo reportedly first expressed wanting to be traded last May, which then prompted Milwaukee to give big man Myles Turner a $108.7 million deal in an attempt to build a contending team for this past season.
Things did not work out, however, with the Bucks finishing with a 32-50 record and their first year missing the postseason in a decade.
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Antetokounmpo played just 36 games last year, averaging 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists while being sidelined with knee problems for the majority of the season. ]
His injury was also a source of concern for the NBA, with the league investigating the Bucks for allegedly violating the “player participation policy and potential inconsistent statements.”
Despite Antetokounmpo claiming that he was ready to play again, the Bucks refused to medically clear the two-time MVP.
“For somebody to come and tell me to not play or not to compete it’s like a slap in my face. So, I don’t know where the relationship goes from there,” he told reporters in April.
“I’ve never seen a case of a player saying, my caliber of player, that’s like, I’m saying it publicly, I want to f–king play. You know what I’m saying?” he added. “I don’t think I’ve seen this. So, if there needs to be an investigation, great.
“There should be. I don’t know. There should be. Until we figure something out.”
