Heat linked to $848M future Hall of Fame duo to pair with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bam Adebayo originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Miami Heat have had their best offseason in a long time, and it should have been clear that big things were going to happen after a disappointing season. The Heat missed the playoffs last season, which is not the standard for the organization.
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They made the first big splash of the offseason by trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“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, three first-round picks (including No. 13 in Tuesday’s NBA draft), one pick swap and one second-round pick, sources told ESPN. The Heat are sending to Milwaukee unprotected first-rounders in 2031 and 2033 along with No. 13, a pick swap in 2030 and a 2033 second-rounder, according to sources,” ESPN’s Shams Charania wrote.
Recently, they made another Hall of Fame-caliber addition. Miami signed four-time NBA champion Klay Thompson.
“The Heat on Sunday could celebrate not only the addition of five-time All-Star guard Klay Thompson, but also the fact that the organization emerged from the transaction with more flexibility than some might have expected. Because Thompson agreed to a first year salary of $5.6 million, that left the Heat with the ability to fill both the 14th and 15th roster spots,” Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson wrote.
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While they could be nearly finished with free agency, the team will have plenty of opportunities to make moves at the trade deadline. Miami radio personality Brendan Tobin mentioned that the Heat could potentially pursue Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
“Durant and Irving — I saw a little Durant post on IG, those two to me I think could be primed to be a Heat swing if it doesn’t go well for whatever reason. That to me looks like if you snoop around and be like what’s the obvious…I was getting hit up on the Kyrie Irving thing nonstop…I’m not telling you the Heat won’t trade for Kyrie Irving…I think it would be unbelievably cool,” Tobin said.
If the Heat could pull off a deal like this, they would immediately become one of the most dangerous teams in the league. Pairing Irving and Durant with Antetokounmpo and Adebayo would be an almost unfair combination of talent.
Durant and Irving have made a combined $848 million throughout their careers. The length, versatility and star power Miami would have with those four players would be absolutely insane. If this scenario were to come to fruition, it could create one of the most talented teams ever assembled.
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