Report: Bucks strongly considered Heat offer for Giannis Antetokounmpo

The Bucks seriously considered a Heat package centered around Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware and multiple picks and swaps for Giannis Antetokounmpo, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Ultimately, ownership decided to hold onto Antetokounmpo and informed Miami on Feb. 5 that it was out, believing a stronger deal could materialize this offseason.

That decision may just be delaying the inevitable.

Charania reports that Milwaukee’s leadership has come to terms with the likelihood of a Giannis trade this summer following a disappointing, lottery-bound season. The situation inside the organization has grown increasingly strained, with one source describing it as “as toxic of a team situation as any in the league.”

Antetokounmpo hasn’t formally requested a trade, but he and agent Alex Saratsis conveyed earlier in the season that it may be time for both sides to move on. The two sides even explored an “amicable” path forward, including a meeting with co-owners Jimmy Haslam and Wes Edens prior to the trade deadline.

Still, uncertainty around the franchise cornerstone has taken a toll.

“When your best player is one foot in, one foot out, you’re not going to win,” one team source told ESPN.

Multiple teams, including the Heat, Warriors and Timberwolves, engaged with Milwaukee ahead of the deadline. While the Bucks ultimately stood pat, the expectation now is that conversations will pick back up in the offseason.

In other words, this isn’t going away. If anything, it’s just getting started.