Miami Heat Among Betting Favorites To Land Milwaukee Bucks Superstar

After this month's blockbuster Jimmy Butler trade, the Miami Heat are ready to move on from the Butler era.

Earlier this week, ESPN's Shams Charania reported Giannis Antetokounmpo prefers to stay in Milwaukee, but could force his way out if the Bucks don't see long-term success.

The Miami Heat have the third-best odds to acquire him at +600 if traded, just behind the New York Knicks at +400 and the Brooklyn Nets at +450 according to Bovada.

The New York Knicks are the favorites to land Giannis Antetokounmpo, per @BovadaOfficial

New York Knicks +400
Brooklyn Nets +450
Miami Heat +600
Los Angeles Lakers +800
Los Angeles Clippers +900
Houston Rockets +1100
Golden State Warriors +1200
Toronto Raptors +1600
San Antonio… https://t.co/Vk4gczLeAr pic.twitter.com/gtrjKO94zq
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 20, 2025

The Heat are no strangers to being involved in blockbuster trade discussions. In the summer of 2023, the Heat were one of few teams reportedly deep in the Damian Lillard sweepstakes.

Antetokounmpo has been named an All-Star every season since 2017. He has also added two Most Valuable Player awards along with a 2021 championship to his resume. The 2013 first-round pick from Greece has established himself as one of the most dominant players in the NBA. This season, he is averaging a career-high 31.5 points, 12.1 rebounds and 5.8 assists while shooting 61 percent from the field. Even with these impressive statistics, he is shooting a career-low 17 percent from beyond the arc at three-point range.

If Antetokounmpo joins Miami, the Heat would become one of the strongest contenders in the Eastern Conference. Keeping stars like Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo would be ideal in creating a new, strong trio in Miami but Antetokounmpo's price tag could be extremely hefty.

The league continues to be shocked by the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade earlier this month and Antetokounmpo could very well be one of the next superstars to be on the move.

HASLEM DESCRIBES PLAYING AGAINST KOBE BRYANT

Udonis Haslem's illustrious career in Miami is well-documented.

His 20-season tenure is among the longest in NBA history with one organization. After his career, he has taken a role in the Heat front office, becoming the Vice President of Basketball Development following his retirement in July 2023.

During his career, he has faced multiple All-Stars and members of the Hall of Fame. On a recent episode of his podcast, The OGs Show, Haslem described his experience playing against none other than Kobe Bryant.

"We were playing against the Lakers—me and Dwight going back and forth—and then Kobe got involved," Haslem said. "I said, ‘Stay outta this, Kobe. This ain’t got nothing to do with you.’ And he said, ‘Oh, so you’re a tough guy now?"

The Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers had plenty of matchups throughout both of these players' careers. Similar to Haslem, Bryant spent his 20-year career with the same team. Bryant's strong mentality on the court is well-known throughout the basketball community.

The Lakers tried emulating the Heat's original Big Three idea. Where the Heat acquired both LeBron James and Chris Bosh to pair with Dwyane Wade, the Lakers added Dwight Howard and Steve Nash to team up with Bryant in 2012. The formula didn't fully work out for Los Angeles as Howard would spend one season with the Lakers and Nash saw massive regression as he inched closer to his retirement in 2015.

Throughout his career, Haslem transitioned into a player-coach and his aggressive attitude on the court, even against the absolute greats, helped the Heat develop young players into stars.

HARDAWAY CALLS OUT BUTLER

The Jimmy Butler trade continues to loom over the Miami Heat.

Butler was traded two weeks ago after a season full of dispute between him and the Heat front office. He was traded to the Golden State Warriors for forwards Andrew Wiggins and Kyle Anderson along with a future protected first-round pick. Last summer, Butler requested a contract extension from the franchise he helped lead to two Eastern Conference titles throughout his near six-season tenure.

Heat president Pat Riley denied a contract extension, leading to a falling out between the two. Butler's age made it difficult for Riley and the Heat to commit to more seasons. Butler has a player option this summer but all signs pointed to him declining that option and entering free agency if not moved prior to the deadline.

During his final few weeks as a member of the Heat, the team indefinitely suspended him after he reportedly distanced himself from the organization.

Miami Heat legend Tim Hardaway recently made an appearance on Sirius XM Radio. He expressed his opinion on how Butler handled his trade situation.

"I didn't agree with what [Butler] was doing," Hardaway said. "You're under contract. You a baby. You're a crybaby because they said 'no' to you. We used to get said 'no' to us all the time and we used to know how to take it. It is what it is."

Hardaway played for the Heat from 1996 to 2001. During his tenure, he made two All-Star appearances along with a First-Team All-NBA nod and two Second-Team nods as well. Hardaway attributes the Heat's recent stretches of Play-In appearances to Butler's missed action.

"You can't deviate and mess up the team," Hardaway later added. "They said 'no'. We want to see you play more games. We don't want to be in the Play-In games. If he played more games, they would have never been in the Play-In games both years. Even though they went to the championship, they never would have been in the Play-In games. That takes a lot out of you."

The Heat's new additions from the Butler blockbuster deal look to make an impact as the team fights for a sixth consecutive playoff appearance.

Sean Jordan is a contributor to Miami Heat On Sports Illustrated. He can be reached at sjorda06@syr.edu.

Follow our coverage on Facebook

X: @SeanKJordan