Giannis Antetokoumpo was one of the biggest names this year going into the offseason. The funny thing was, he wasn’t even a Free Agent this offseason, as he becomes a Free Agent in 2021. Giannis’ campaign in 2018-19 and 2019-20 was great and earned him back to back MVP’s. Now it was payday time. Giannis decided to sign a 5 year, $228M deal with the Bucks causing lots of pain to the hearts of Miami Heat fans. After all, the Heat had been mentioned in almost every article containing top destinations for Giannis to sign. The Heat unable to make a trade for Giannis, will now have play this season and most likely the next 5 seasons without the two time MVP and Superstar. But, the Heat can change their plan and now go after other big names including James Harden.
Why Is Giannis Staying In Milwaukee?
The Heat failed to sign “the Bait” over the offseason. Trading for Victor Oladipo was in the conversation, but the trade talks with the Pacers never really got off the ground. It seems as though a team that did not add on any other superstars did not really intrigue Giannis. The Heat still had a good supporting cast for Giannis if he did decide to sign in Miami. However, not signing another all-star would prove to be fatal for the Heat. Another reason why Giannis signed in Milwaukee was because of his love for the city. He went to his first Packers game back in September of 2018. He described the experience as amazing and said that it was a lot of fun. Over time his relations in Milwaukee grew. The Bucks did not add on many players this offseason but they didn’t need to. Everything was already perfect.
Life Without Giannis
With the Bucks’ action of extending Giannis, the Heat will have to turn their focus to other upcoming Free Agents in 2021. They will not have the star power forward of the future, but they will still have a decent lineup with Bam Adebayo. The Heat can still settle with signing another star like James Harden. However, they don’t need another superstar to contend in the playoffs. They already have a great bench with lots of depth, and a team that has so much chemistry. They will have a tough time competing against the Nets and the Bucks among others, but if anyone can do it, it’s the Heat.