Heat Not Done After Trading for Giannis—Here Are Three Big Decisions They Must Make
Heat Not Done After Trading for Giannis—Here Are Three Big Decisions They Must Make
Liam McKeone|
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Miami HeatMilwaukee BucksThe Greek Freak era has arrived in Miami.
Late on Monday night, the Heat traded three first-round picks, Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kasparas Jakučionis to the Bucks for two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and stretch big Bobby Portis. It’s the culmination of years of preparation by team president Pat Riley to ensure Miami was ready to pounce if a superstar talent of this caliber ever hit the trade market. Reports in the days leading up to the blockbuster suggested it was no sure thing Antetokounmpo would end up in South Beach, but Riley got the job done and beat out the rival Celtics in the process.
It’s a massive win for the Heat. Of course it is! True superstar talents like Giannis are rarely available and the cost to land him was justifiable, even if it was high. Moreover, in terms of Miami’s situation specifically, this was a godsend of an opportunity. The Heat haven’t been able to find a direction since trading Jimmy Butler and seemed locked in play-in tournament territory for as long as Bam Adebayo was their best player. It was going to take a big-time trade or a huge stroke of luck to raise their ceiling back to genuine championship contention. Antetokounmpo provided both by forcing his way out of Milwaukee and making it clear Miami was one of the few places he’d sign long-term with.
Now the East has a new power down in South Beach. A roster built around Antetokounmpo and Adebayo is automatically elite defensively. They should absolutely own the paint and make life utterly miserable for any and all opponents driving to the hoop. Paired with elite point-of-attack defense from veteran PG Davion Mitchell and it feels safe to presume the Heat have a ready-made top-10 defense before stepping foot on the court.
Offensively... the fit is less clean. Antetokounmpo is a machine who will rack up huge numbers in any environment but he and Adebayo operate in the same areas on that end of the floor. They’ll need spacing around them to thrive and Miami gave up three of the roster’s best shooters to bring Antetokounmpo to town. The defense will be such a strength that a cramped floor may not matter against most opponents, and coach Erik Spoelstra has a tremendous track record schematically; he can make this work to an extent.
But the Heat brought Giannis to town to compete for championships and on paper right now, the offense is not championship-caliber. Not with the question marks Miami still faces with the offseason about to officially kick off with the draft. There are still decisions that have to be made by the front office and what they choose to do will have big-time ramifications on what the roster around Giannis and Bam is going to look like.
There are a number of small moves the Heat will be making between now and the start of the season that will impact the final roster. They own the No. 41 pick in the second round of the draft and a scouting deparment famous for unearthing NBA contributors among the undrafted free agent crowd will be hard at work. But the most impactful decisions Miami’s front office has to make surrounds the future of three players already on the roster.
Let’s break down those decisions and the potential paths the Heat can choose.
Norman Powell’s upcoming free agency
Powell was the Heat’s big offseason acquisition this time last year and would be a wonderful fit with the new Antetokounmpo-Adebayo core as an All-Star perimeter creator who scored over 20 points per game last year while shooting 38% from deep on high volume. But he is about to hit unrestricted free agency and will be looking for a payday given he’s a 33-year-old guard and something of a late bloomer in the NBA. Furthermore, the end of his first season in Miami was not positive at all; his play took a nosedive down the stretch of the season as he battled injuries and ultimately lost his starting spot to Herro. It wouldn’t be a surprise if it left something of a bad taste in everybody’s mouth. However, he is by far the best perimeter scorer left after the Giannis trade and the Heat have Powell’s bird rights, which allows them to offer more money than other teams.
Miami doesn’t have a ton of room to manuever. The team is hard-capped at the first apron with about $19 million to work with in cap space without making any other moves as it stands. That isn’t a lot of money if keeping Powell is a priority, but the franchise also can’t afford to spend every dollar of the available cap space on him alone; they only have 10 players under contract right now. Thus, the Heat have to figure out how badly they need Powell to open up the floor and at what price point they’d be willing to meet him at.
What to do with Andrew Wiggins
Wiggins has been quietly productive as a two-way wing in Miami since he was traded there as part of the Butler deal. Now he figures to be extremely important as the connective wing piece of the new starting five with his solid defense and 40% three-point shooting. The Heat will be thrilled to have him alongside their new star pairing—but Wiggins has a player option for next season worth $30 million.
It doesn’t seem likely the veteran wing will opt out and seek a new team in free agency. His skillset is valuable but the chances of him finding a deal worth $30 million or more annually is pretty slim, so if maximizing his immediate value is the priority then accepting his option is the move. Miami, however, has an opportunity to get creative in that case. If the front office could convince Wiggins to opt out and sign a new deal at a lower dollar amount but with more guaranteed years, it could carve out some much-needed cap space. That scenario would give Miami more wiggle room to deal with Powell and find other on-the-margin opportunities this offseason. If Wiggins doesn’t have interest in that path then the Heat have to make sure he picks up his option because if he leaves it’ll be mighty hard to replace him.
Either way, Wiggins’s decision is a swing point this offseason for Miami.
Whether to trade Nikola Jović
Looking at the Heat roster in the aftermath of the Antetokounmpo trade, one name sticks out as a possible trade candidate if Miami wanted to add another proven NBA player to the roster: Nikola Jović. The fourth-year forward is 23 years old and hasn’t shown much at this level in terms of production; he averaged 7.3 points in 17.2 minutes per game with terrible shooting numbers. But the Heat believed in him enough to give him a four-year extension worth $62 million last fall, which means Jović’s salary entering this offseason is a very tradable $16.2 million. Theoretically he could be a helpful member of this roster; he shot 37% from three on respectable volume back in ‘24–‘25, which inspires some hope he could do a decent stretch big impression.
But it’s hard to see Jović developing quickly enough to be considered a reliable rotation player for a championship hopeful. The Heat would therefore be wise to look into trading him. His career thus far wouldn’t inspire a huge return and Miami is obviously devoid of any major assets after landing Antetokounmpo. But Jović’s salary is enough to match the contracts of players like P.J. Washington or Terance Mann in a trade—veteran assets playing for teams who are still rebuilding and may be interested in taking a swing on a guy like Jović.
Whether or not they can find a deal the Heat have to at least look into it because Jović is the only trade chip they have left.
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Published 1 hour ago | Modified 1 hour ago
LIAM MCKEONELiam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, he is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books and video games. McKeone has been a member of the National Sports Media Association since 2020.
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Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price subsidising their life by livestreaming
Venezuela Fury and her husband Noah Price look to be making their own way in the world by raking it in from their lucrative social media accounts.
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury, 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year.
Since getting married and moving in together the couple have been earning thousands of pounds a month, livestreaming their life as newlyweds in their static caravan in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
And fans can't get enough of their regular life updates on TikTok and Kick, which have proved to be very profitable for the pair.
They look to be supporting themselves after Noah denied that he was given £5million by Venezuela's family as a wedding gift.
Despite his wife's huge family wealth, an estimated combined £160 million, Noah recently told his Kick followers that he 'pays for everything' for the couple.
Making light of the claims about Venezuela's millionaire financial status, Noah said: 'I actually pay for everything unfortunately. You'd expect the millionaire to pay for it wouldn't you.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price are earning thousands livestreaming their caravan life - after her new groom insisted he pays all the bills and denied he had £5m handout from her dad
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury , 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year
Venezuela then asked their fans: 'Do you think I am a millionaire?'
Noah joked: 'She isn't a secret millionaire guys', before she broke into song and sang: 'But I live like a millionaire!'
But it seems according to estimated calculations from their social media work, Noah and Venezuela can more than afford to support themselves.
Noah has been livestreaming on platforms such as Kick and TikTok, where viewers can send paid gifts or donations.
He was previously encouraging viewers to send gifts on his honeymoon during livestreams, suggesting this is one revenue stream.
Both Noah and Venezuela have built substantial followings on Instagram and TikTok. They can potentially earn money through sponsored posts, brand collaborations, affiliate links and creator payouts.
Kick allows its creators to take home 95 per cent of the £4.99 subscription cost that fans pay.
Streamers keep 100 per cent of direct tips and donations, minus minor standard payment processing fees.
It is unclear how many subscribers Noah currently has because this information is hidden, but he does have 7,200 followers which is publicly viewable.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million
In one video on their honeymoon, Noah asked his followers if they'd give them some more gifts now that they were married.
In a TikTok live viewed by 20,000 he said: 'Keep liking our videos people, keep sending gifts.'
After saying thank you to several of his followers he joked they should stick around on the livestream and 'watch Venezuela punch me in the mouth'.
The other half of the honeymooning couple said: 'I am, honestly!'
Noah previously confirmed that the pair don't share their finances after they were asked whether they have a shared bank account.
'She earns her money, I earn mine,' said Noah, as Venezuela joked: 'Yeah, what you gonna do about it.'
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'.
Meanwhile Venezuela is being eyed up by executives for a fly on the wall TV series.
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'
Boasting 1.3 million TikTok followers, Venezuela is already entertaining fans with her honest musings and candid moments, from cooking to kitting out her and Noah's static caravan home.
And following the success of the Netflix series At Home With The Furys, it is no wonder bosses are wanting to draw on the Fury popularity.
A TV insider said: 'The couple are not A-list celebrities but everyone has become obsessed with their love story.
'People are genuinely intrigued by them. Whether it’s the fact they have married so young, Venezuela’s famous family or their gypsy lifestyle, they have the ‘X factor'.
'Several TV executives think a proper fly-on-the-wall series following their lives as newlyweds in the gypsy community would be fascinating,' they told The Sun.
It is thought Netflix would be likely to produce the series due to their already established relationship with the Furys.
Venezuela's representatives told The Daily Mail: 'We have many offers on the table regarding Venezuela which we are discussing.'
