NBA Mock Trade: Heat Make Blockbuster Offseason Trade For Giannis Antetokounmpo
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The biggest name of the 2026 NBA trade deadline, Giannis Antetokounmpo, remains with the team that drafted him, the Milwaukee Bucks. And while most Bucks fans were elated at this, and fans of teams who were rumored to be in the race for the former two-time MVP left NBA deadline day disappointed, those feelings between the two sides are likely to flop.
While a deal was unable to form before the trade deadline, reality has formed since then. The Bucks, with the current version of Antetokounmpo, are far from being a contender. Since the trade deadline, Milwaukee has gone just 5-9 overall with Antetokounmpo available in six of these games. The Bucks have gone 2-4 in these matchups. The wins came against two of the worst teams in the NBA, the Utah Jazz and the Indiana Pacers.
Milwaukee currently resides in the 12th spot in the Eastern Conference with a record of 28-39. Unless they are big winners in this year's NBA Lottery, their path back to the NBA Finals is as blurry as it has been during Antetokounmpo's tenure with the team. And with teams definitely still interested in him, the Bucks might be inclined to deal him this offseason and start a complete rebuild. One of the teams that was in talks of going after the star during trade talks at the deadline could emerge again in another sweepstakes. That team is the Miami Heat.
NBA Mock Trade: Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks
Heat Receive:
PF: Bobby Portis
PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Bucks Receive:
SG: Tyler Herro
PG: Terry Rozier
C: Kel’el Ware
SF: Jaime Jaquez Jr.
2027 first round pick, 2029 first round pick, 2030 first round pick, and 2031 first round pick (all unprotected)
Why This Trade Makes Sense For Miami
Where the Heat currently are, they are just an Antetokounmpo away from being a title contender. They currently have a record of 38-30, slotting them in the seventh seed in the East.
The Heat do lose a lot of young talent in the following mock trade, but it is well worth it. They have guys whom they have hit on in previous drafts, Pelle Larson being one, and players in general on their roster who are more than capable of stepping up and becoming depth pieces. With them on their squad, moving off the players in this mock deal for Antetokounmpo is a no-brainer.
Antetokounmpo in the 2025-2026 season is averaging 27.6 PPG, 9.8 RPG, and 5.4 APG. Pairing him next to Miami’s Bam Adebayo, they would form arguably the best frontcourt in the NBA.
Why This Trade Makes Sense For Milwaukee
The Bucks get a sense of direction with the mock deal. They do not have a lot of promising young talent outside of AJ Green and Ryan Rollins, who, although they have shown they are surefire NBA players, are not budding stars. Adding players like Kel’el Ware, Tyler Herro, and Jaime Jaquez Jr., the verdict is by no means out on what they are yet. They could very well be stars, and for a former all-star, Herro, a change of scenery could catapult him into stardom immediately. The three's untapped potential could be a big tool in accelerating Milwaukee's rebuild.
The Bucks in the mock deal also get a good chunk of draft capital, but for a player of Antetokounmpo’s caliber, it may at first glance seem a little underwhelming. What makes the picks intriguing, however, is that they are all unprotected. While the Heat will undoubtedly be competitive with Antetokounmpo, the NBA is unpredictable. If one year they are riddled with injury, Milwaukee could very well end up with a lottery pick from this draft haul.
The addition of Terry Rozier in this mock is just to match salaries to make the trade work. If the mock deal were to go down, the Bucks would have to cut two players. Rozier would be one of them.
Fantasy Basketball Impact Of This Mock Trade
The biggest winners of the mock deal in fantasy basketball would be all the players the Bucks are receiving. Jaquez Jr., Herro, and Ware would have bigger roles than their current ones with the Heat. Ware and Herro, especially, would be big fantasy winners, with Herro likely becoming the Bucks' featured offensive player and Ware seeing a large increase in his current 22.7 MPG average.
Anetetokounmpo’s current averages from this season on the Heat likely would not see a big shift. Bobby Portis would also see a similar role with Miami, resulting in no big change in his fantasy value either.
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Gray Deyo is a Nashville-based sportswriter who graduated with a sports management bachelor's degree from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He has covered prep sports, college sports, the WNBA, and the NBA for the past four years. In addition to writing for SI, Gray also currently contributes to Prep Girls Hoops