The Miami Heat‘s 2025-26 campaign isn’t over just yet, as they will have an opportunity to advance in the NBA’s Play-In Tournament on Tuesday night when they square off against the Charlotte Hornets in the Eastern Conference’s No. 9-No. 10 seed game. Despite that, it’s clear that general manager Pat Riley‘s attention is already on the offseason.
After laboring through a disappointing year, the Heat are expected to be busy this offseason. For years, Miami has been linked to making a big move for a superstar player, but to this point, the only move they have made in that department has seen them send a disgruntled Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors. This offseason could be different, though, with reports emerging that suggest Riley has set his sights on Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Pat Riley, Heat Expected to Make Big Push for Giannis Antetokounmpo
With Butler helping turn the Heat into a perennial Finals contender, Riley looked for ways to assemble a squad that he could lead to a championship. He never managed to find a true star to run alongside Butler, though, and eventually, the two sides split midway through the 2024-25 campaign.
Guys like Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro remain, but considering how Miami is the No. 10 seed, it’s pretty clear that there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done to this roster. In the past year, the Heat have taken big swings at guys like Kevin Durant and Antetokounmpo, but they have come up short on both occasions.
While Durant got traded to the Houston Rockets, Antetokounmpo remained a member of the Bucks past the trade deadline, with the expectation being that he would get moved over the offseason. The overarching belief is still that Antetokounmpo will get dealt, and according to NBA insider Shams Charania, it sounds like Riley is intent on finding a way to bring him to Miami.
“The Heat, Pat Riley, it’s clear around the NBA when I talk to rival executives: Pat Riley wants his whale, his shark, his tiger,” Charania said on “NBA today. “At the deadline, they made offers for Giannis Antetokounmpo. They offered Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, a bunch of draft capital, from my understanding. The Bucks obviously didn’t move Giannis. They’ll be back in the Giannis hunt.”
Should the Heat Trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo?
GettyMilwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo enters the offseason with uncertainties about his time with the franchise.
There has been quite a bit of drama brewing between Antetokounmpo and the Bucks for some time now, but when he played this past season, he was still as effective as ever (27.6 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 5.4 APG, 62.4 FG%). Antetokounmpo will turn 32 next season, but he has shown virtually no signs of decline when he has found himself on the floor.
Even with limited leverage, Milwaukee is going to be able to command a massive return in exchange for Antetokounmpo. The Heat were willing to give up quite a bit for him at the trade deadline, so it’s fair to expect Riley to take a similar approach this offseason. There’s going to be some serious competition for Antetokounmpo’s services, but Riley has a history of getting what he wants, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him come out on top again in these sweepstakes.
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