The Miami Heat own their first lottery pick since 2019 when the NBA Draft kicks off Tuesday, June 23.
The question isn’t whether which stud prospect Heat president Pat Riley will snare but if the franchise will select for themselves or the Milwaukee Bucks.
It’s the Giannis Antetokounmpo Draft and the Heat stand as the frontrunner for the 31-year-old, 6-foot-11 mega-star who has wanted out of Milwaukee for a while.
Two league executives believe Riley will get it done – either on Draft Night or in July when other trade pawns can be attached.
It’s not that the Heat can bowl over the Bucks with an offer but Riley’s relentlessness coupled with Giannis contract status gives Miami an edge.
Another interested team probably won’t break the bank for Antetokounmpo if he’s going to be a one-year rental.
“The Greek Freak” can become a free agent after the 2026-27 season and then skip. A team would need assurance the do-everything forward would sign an extension. If not, it makes little sense to mortgage the future.
The New York Knicks were reportedly at the top of Giannis’ list entering the season. Now that that the Knicks won the NBA championship and broke their 53-year drought, they are out of the picture. Miami is believed to be Giannis’ first choice.
After spending a career in dreary Milwaukee, why wouldn’t South Florida be of strong appeal to Giannis. No state income tax and the best climate in the United States in fall, winter and spring – which spans the NBA season.
The Giannis time is now with Miami holding the 13th pick in the draft. Reports have an offer on the table of scoring guard Tyler Herro, young shotblocking center Kel’el Ware and 2024 first-rounder, swingman Jaime Jaquez. Add in the 13th pick, perhaps its 41st pick and another future first-rounder.
Bam Adebayo is off the table. One executive told The Palm Beach Post he doesn’t think Jaquez is part of a deal, however. That could be a sign the Bucks don’t want the sweet-shooting swingman and prefer either another young player (2025 first-rounder Kasparas Jakučionis?) or more picks.
It’s clear Riley wants to make a splash after four straight moribund years in the play-in tournament and Kawhi Leonard has been mentioned as the backup plan.
After the season, Riley said in his post-mortem presser, “I’m really pissed. I’m disappointed. Disgruntled, just like everyone else in the organization who understands what we’re about. So, the last three to four years, with the exception of when we went to the finals (in 2023), I’m not proud of.”
In one sense, Riley should be happy the Knicks won the championship, leaving New York out of the Giannis chase. However, it must’ve been bitter to Riley that Miami’s arch rivals are the toast of the nation.
Riley came closest to breaking the Knicks championship curse when he coached the Patrick Ewing-led squad into the 1994 Finals and blew a 3-2 lead, losing Game 7 in Houston.
Riley was blamed for letting John Starks shoot them out of Game 7 in a 2-of-18 nightmare. Riley isn’t doing interviews on the Knicks title for now, a Miami spokesman said.
Meanwhile, the Bucks owner Jimmy Haslam made it seem Draft Night was going to be D-Day. Or G-Day.
“I just think before the draft is a natural time, right?,” Haslam said in May. “Because if Giannis does play somewhere else, then we ought to get a lot of assets and it’s (the GM’s) job to do it. If he’s here, then you build the team differently.”
There could be a scenario of the deal being consummated in July when the cap year starts anew and Heat scorer Andrew Wiggins can exercise his player option of $30M.
Wiggins can then be added to the trade. If Herro ($32M) is also in it, then a third team would be needed in a larger-scale trade. Currently, Wiggins’ contract status makes him untradeable on Draft Night.
If the crux of the deal does happen, Miami would be left with a starting lineup of Giannis, Bam Adebayo, Wiggins up front and Norm Powell and defensive point guard Davion Mitchell in the backcourt. Gritty swingman Pelle Larrson, who had a breakout season, would need to continue his growth as does Jakučionis, who improved as the year went on.
It’s better than a play-in team but could struggle to be a top-4, according to one pro NBA scout.
“Giannis and Bam are mostly inside players though Bam was a more frequent 3-point shooter last season,’’ the pro scout said. “But his comfort zone is mid-post. So how does that work and can the Heat fill out the rest of the roster sufficiently to advance deep into the playoffs? If Herro and Jaime are gone, their backcourt is middle-of-the-pack and no true starting point guard. Mitchell is a nice backup.
“I know Giannis won a championship, but I think you have a better chance when your best player is a guard type like Jalen Brunson or Jason Tatum. With Giannis they are more formidable but I’m not convinced championship material because of the odd Bam/Giannis fit. Plus Giannis wll be 32 in December and coming off a year he played only 36 games.”
So if another mystery team steps up – Boston is reportedly lurking – what does Riley do at 13?
Miami has been linked heavily to the 24-year-old Michigan power forward Yaxel Lendeborg. One reason could be the Dusty May link as Miami coach Erik Spoelstra is close with the Michigan championship head coach from May’s FAU days.
“I like Yaxel for any NBA team,” one longtime NBA college scout said. “He’s a guy who can do a lot of things from a lot of spots on the floor. Of course, he’s more valuable to a team that doesn’t have a ball-dominant point guard, because some of his appeal is that he can be a secondary ballhandler/decision-maker.
“(Lendeborg) is a cerebral player who will try to implement what the coaches want. A terrific kid, not a high-volume shooter at the NBA level but a great piece who can add a ton of intangibles to any team.”
The college scout said the other Michigan man, forward Morez Johnson Jr. could be a steal at 13, though he’s different in being all about strength and athleticism, calling him “an unpolished gem.”
“But he’s a hard-driving player who fits the Miami Heat credo of toughness,” the scout said.
The college scout said other “strong fits for Miami Heat culture’’ are St. John’s forward Zuby Ejiofor, UConn’s Tarris Reed Jr and Arizona’s Jalen Bradley. If Miami hangs onto its second round pick at 41, Bradley could be there.
Miami may not have any picks in this draft if Antetokounmpo’s mission to Miami is complete.
Skeptics warn that Ware still is a good prospect but not a surefire star. Herro is a poor defender. If it’s Jaquez, he may be no better than a sixth man.
Either way, Riley is ready to take a big swing and Leonard as a Plan B has been rumored despite owner Steve Ballmer’s reported reluctance to deal him.
The last thing Riley wants in his early 80’s is for the New York Knicks to be kings of the NBA.
“I hope we can help Bam,” Riley said. “He deserves the help. He deserves to win more. We’re going to try hard to aggressively pursue opportunities.”
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Giannis to Miami? Why the Heat hold ideal position ahead of NBA Draft
Reporting by Marc Berman, Special to The Post / Palm Beach Post
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By Marc Berman, Special to The Post | USA TODAY Network
