The best target for the Miami Heat if they strike out on Giannis

Striking out on everybody would waste a year of Bam Adebayo's prime.

Dec 16, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat general manager Andy Elisburg sits court side prior to the game between the Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

The Miami Heat and Boston Celtics have been fierce rivals on the court and that’s extended to try to acquire the big fish. As ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst said Monday morning on Get Up, both of them have gone all in and he doesn’t know if there’s any going back. 

And as of this moment, we don't know which, if either, will get Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The Milwaukee Bucks seem torn, even inside their own building, on what direction to go.

The Clippers have been visiting prospects who are projected in the late lottery, per @WindhorstESPN

“Miami and Boston have gone all in here. I don’t know if there’s any going back. Whoever doesn’t get Giannis, what happens next? I started talking to agents and executives, the… pic.twitter.com/TIJRI12vpk

— Heat Central (@HeatCulture13) June 22, 2026

It wouldn’t be the first time the Heat made Tyler Herro available (remember the failed hunt for Damian Lillard), and the same is true for the Boston Celtics and their former Finals MVP, Jaylen Brown because he was bait for Kevin Durant nearly four years ago. A tricky situation may develop if it happens more than once. 

Windhorst also informed the public that the Los Angeles Clippers are gathering intel on first-round talent that would fall between the 10th and 15th pick, when they have the fifth. 

It seems LAC could be pivoting, which opens an opportunity for one of the losers of the Giannis chase, which goodness willing, is over by the draft. In case Boston loses it, would parting with Brown to get Kawhi Leonard be worth it? Maybe for them, since Brown is five years younger, it makes more sense to keep him and convince him it wasn’t personal.

As for the Heat, they would come out a better team with Antetokounmpo or Leonard, and the latter option would make them relevant at least in the East. Leonard can still be The Terminator at soon to be age 35, and acquiring any difference-making player of this magnitude is a big deal because no squad has consecutively won the conference since the Cleveland Cavaliers did it between 2015-18.

Leonard, who has always missed time due to injuries, has played in 68, 37 and 65 games in the last three years. If the Heat were to get this two-time champion then preserve him properly for the postseason while grabbing one of the spots above the Play-In Tournament, they could have one of their deepest playoff runs since Jimmy Butler carried them.

It’s expected that the Indiana Pacers will be a force to be reckoned with next season, but what if they ain’t? The champion New York Knicks shouldn’t be underestimated, but who knows how much cheap James Dolan refusing to go into the second apron will lower their ceiling?

And as talented as the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic are, both still have serious questions surrounding their personnel being enough. 

The Heat will not have enough to cause playoff mayhem if they roll out the same squad, banking on development and a nice new rookie. Additionally, the prospect of pairing Bam Adebayo with a big-time player who tries harder than Butler in the regular season, is too good to pass up.  They have options to be relevant next season, but the real failure would be striking out on everybody, and trying to convince the fans they'll have cap space in 2027.