Whether the Miami Heat are in pole position to win the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes may hinge on whether the Boston Celtics are willing to say goodbye to Jaylen Brown. If so, the two-time MVP is probably about to join forces with Jayson Tatum.
However, even if Boston isn't putting Brown on the table, Miami may have hit a snag. Ethan Skolnik of 5 Reasons Sports conveyed the following about the Milwaukee Bucks' outlook on the Heat's offer.
"I've heard the thing they want the most is the 13th pick," said Skolnick. "I've also heard, this surprised me a little bit, that Jaquez is the player they're most interested in retaining of the Heat's potential package. I don't know what that means for Tyler [Herro] or for [Kel'el] Ware. But that's just something that I've heard from a couple of folks I would say on the outside, but not too far away from the process."
The Heat's pursuit of Giannis could end in disaster
If Milwaukee is telling Pat Riley that the two sides do not have a direct path to a deal, that is a critical blow to Miami's hopes of landing Antetokounmpo.
That doesn't mean it can't happen. The Heat could find another trade partner with interest in acquiring at least one of Herro and Ware. They could then reroute the return from that deal to the Bucks. But that's making the process more complicated for an offer that's already quite beatable. And if it requires finding two separate destinations for the pair of aforementioned players, then this becomes even more challenging for Miami.
It would increase the possibility that this is on the verge of becoming Damian Lillard 2.0 in South Beach. The latest failed pursuit of a superstar for an organization that's desperate to get off the treadmill of mediocrity.
If you're a Celtics fan, given the rivalry between the two sides, the Schadenfreude is palpable.
And while the Bucks seemingly want to do right by their superstar, who delivered an NBA title to Milwaukee, on his way out, if the Heat's offer isn't palatable, then perhaps Antetokounmpo ends up out West.
There have been multiple reports that the Portland Trail Blazers are willing to do this deal without securing a long-term commitment from the 10-time All-Star beforehand. That dice roll led the Toronto Raptors to their only championship when they acquired Kawhi Leonard as a one-year rental.
Antetokounmpo is eligible to sign a four-year, $275 million extension on Oct. 1. He can opt out of his contract next summer. That gives him leverage as he tries to steer his way to a desired destination.
However, the Trail Blazers can offer the Bucks the chance to regain control of their future. The latter sent Portland a package of first-round picks in the deal that brought Lillard to the Cream City. Getting those back might appeal more to Milwaukee than Miami's proposal.
You can see why the Bucks are using the Celtics as leverage. The Heat's offer is the bar. And there's no reason to accept that package from Miami, at the moment. Boston could be legitimately interested and involved in the bidding. However, that information being out there does them no good. Jaylen Brown may have already reinforced that point.
Even if the Celtics, and multiple potential suitors that could top the Heat's offer, like the Orlando Magic, aren't pursuing Antetokounmpo, this has reached the danger zone for Miami, a franchise at risk of watching this deal happen without them, as they are again made the butt of the joke.
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