Giannis Antetokounmpo trade winners and losers as Heat land superstar
· Yahoo Sports
The Miami Heat just landed Giannis Antetokounmpo in the biggest trade of the NBA offseason so far.
The Milwaukee Bucks sent Giannis and Bobby Portis to South Beach in exchange for a boatload of players and draft picks, officially making Miami one of the scariest teams in the league going into the fall.
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Giannis Antetokounmpo trade grades: Who won Bucks-Heat deal?
Who are the clear winners and losers from this blockbuster deal? We know some obvious ones, but breaking it all down really puts this seismic move in perspective. Let's run through this trade's real winners and losers.
Winners: The Miami Heat
Pop bottles, Miami. You got the Greek Freak. Antetokounmpo is the biggest star to play for the Heat since LeBron James; him taking his talents to South Beach will undoubtedly put Miami in title contention. The Celtics looked like the clear favorites at the ninth hour, but Miami throwing in three first-round picks may have sealed the deal. Adding one of the league's best players is always something to celebrate. Pat Riley got the big deal done. What a night.
Losers: The Boston Celtics
The Celtics tried to make the biggest move of the NBA offseason, but the team couldn't get it done to land Giannis. Leveraging Jaylen Brown as part of its trade package might backfire if Brown decides he now wants out. If he stays, the Celtics have work to do to keep up with the NBA title-winning New York Knicks. Boston could have landed an absolute franchise-changer to pair with Jayson Tatum, but they just couldn't make it happen. A very tough result.
Winners: The Bucks finally moving on
It was clear for a while that Giannis wanted out of Milwaukee. To land what it did is genuinely impressive. Adding impact players like Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kasparas Jakucionis should shore up a workable core in Milwaukee for the immediate future, and those three first rounders will rebuild the team's foundation. While the Bucks might not contend for an NBA title next season, the team is taking the right steps to getting back to its winning ways. Brown is clearly the more attractive player to add, but you can't blame Milwaukee for taking what it got from Miami. The franchise chose quantity over quality; it could go a long way in helping the Bucks rebuild.
Losers: The Eastern Conference
You couldn't get rid of Giannis; he did not go out West. While it was the expected outcome, other contenders in the East must contend with a Heat team that features Antetokounmpo as its 1A talent alongside Bam Adebayo. The Knicks don't have much to sweat since they just won a title, but other Eastern Conference contenders just winced.
Winner: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Look, Giannis is clearly the biggest winner here besides the Heat. He wasn't happy in Milwaukee, and now he gets to trade the cold winters of Wisconsin to the refreshing breeze of Miami. He will pair with Adebayo to form one of the NBA's most lethal 1-2 punches, and he's probably going to sign a new deal that pays him a lot of money. It's good to be the Greek Freak right now; he just got exactly what he wanted.
Winner: Bobby Portis
Portis was part of the trade package that sent Giannis to Miami; talk about going along for the ride. Portis will now contend for an NBA title alongside one of the most ferocious teams in the East. He could have stuck around in Milwaukee for what's likely a methodical rebuild, but now, he gets to play with Giannis in Miami. He's a winner.
Loser: Kyle Kuzma
We thought Kuzma might be part of the Giannis trade, but it wasn't to be. For now, he's with the Bucks until the team decides to ship him elsewhere. It's more likely he'll play for Milwaukee this season at this point. Dang.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Giannis Antetokounmpo trade winners and losers as Heat land superstar