What's Next After Pat Riley Landed His Latest Whale

Now to fill out the roster around Giannis Antetokounmpo

Apr 1, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat president Pat Riley looks on after the game against the Boston Celtics at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

After years of near misses, Pat Riley has Finally landed his whale. The Miami Heat have acquired Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis for Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, 3 first-round picks (including No. 13), 1 pick swap and 1 second rounder

BLOCKBUSTER: The Milwaukee Bucks are trading franchise icon Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to the Miami Heat for Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, 3 first-round picks (including No. 13), 1 pick swap and 1 second-rounder, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/NQT5ZhdJU9

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 23, 2026

For years it was a story of "almost" for the Miami Heat. Every time a disgruntled superstar hit the trade block, the Miami Heat were inevitably linked. But time after time, the front office fell just short, unwilling or unable to put together the absolute haul required to land a modern MVP-level talent.

So now that the job is done, the Miami Heat have to fill out their roster.

First Priorities

Resign Norman Powell.

Shooting becomes increasingly important for the Miami Heat and they will need the spacing on a team with Giannis and Bam as the focus. Powell is coming off his first All Star campaign and wants to be in Miami.

Because Heat has Bird Rights for Giannis, cap space next summer is no longer needed. And thus Miami (as many of you know) can sign Powell (and Wiggins, if he opts out) to multiyear deals -- using those 2 players' Bird Rights - without needing to save cap space for next summer. https://t.co/NjZIfdTztU

— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) June 23, 2026

Next is retaining Andrew Wiggins. Wiggins, Bam, and Giannis are instantly on of the top defensive front courts in the NBA. Wiggins is the physical athletic wing you see on every Championship squad. Wiggins averaged 19 points and shot 36% from three this season. The former #1 overall pick will be crucial to their success.

This is a good start for the Miami Heat, this roster would currently have a rotation of Davion Mitchell, Norman Powell, Andrew Wiggins, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Bam Adebayo, with Bobby Portis and Pelle Larsson off the bench.

Fill out the Roster

Apr 28, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Gabe Vincent (4) looks to pass the ball against New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) during the second quarter of game five of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The next course of action would be to fill out the roster with high quality veteran players, and young players with a lot of upside, especially from beyond the arc.

Miami will have to master the margins of free agency by target-hunting veteran minimum contracts and the tax-midlevel exception (it will be interesting to see how much of it they have left). A few perfect cultural fits stand out, starting with" Khris Middleton. While he has slowed down at age 34, he knocked down 39% of his threes in Dallas last season, and his championship pedigree alongside his close personal bond with Giannis makes him an ideal back-of-the-rotation 3-and-D option.

The front office could also look toward a familiar face in Gabe Vincent; after a rough stretch of injuries and inconsistency in Los Angeles and Atlanta since his 2023 Finals run with Miami, he could return on a cheap deal to provide reliable backup point guard depth in a system he knows by heart.

If Kasparas Jakucionis was sent out in a Giannis deal…

Miami can sign Russell Westbrook and Khris Middleton on veteran minimum deals while acquiring Bobby Portis with Giannis.

Wouldn’t be a bad backup PG option. https://t.co/Nla7S41zyy pic.twitter.com/6crChD8qDU

— The HEAT Realm (@WadexFlash) June 18, 2026

Some other options include Bruce Brown, Luke Kennard, and maybe even bringing back Simone Fontecchio.

Also note the trade isn't finalized until July 6th, so there is a framework for it to be expanded.

Many options will come out of this for Miami, and players may take less to join this Miami Heat roster.

But the moral of the story is, Pat Riley and the Miami Heat did the first part, they closed the deal that they have been waiting for, and now the hard part begins, filling out a roster that Giannis, Bam and head coach Erik Spoelstra can lead to an NBA Finals. Completing the Godfather's final act.