The rumor mill continues to swirl around Kevin Durant and trading for the 19-year veteran. Durant turns 37 years old, and we considered the possibility of the Miami Heat acquiring Kevin Durant, but is there another All-Star that makes a lot more sense for the Heat? If he were to become available, the Heat should put more effort into trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks than an aging Durant from the Suns.

Durant may realistically be traded before July. The Suns are likely wanting to recoup what they surrendered in the Durant trade with the Brooklyn Nets, but the chances of them getting their return haul are slim. The price might be smaller for Durant than what the Suns are anticipating, if they’re serious about moving off the 15-time All-Star. Durant’s age and durability make him less attractive on the open market, especially if he’s unwilling to sign an extension immediately.

While the Suns wouldn’t get a return for Kevin Durant like the Memphis Grizzlies got by shipping Desmond Bane to Orlando, a haul for Bane would likely be more geared towards another All-Star – Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Is this a legitimate possibility? Could the Bucks trade away their franchise’s cornerstone?

This scenario is not wishful thinking. The Dallas Mavericks trading Luka Doncic away means anything is possible. And if the Milwaukee Bucks can’t land a star with Giannis this offseason, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Bucks entertain offers to ship the Greek Freak out of Milwaukee. At the very least, the Bucks wouldn’t immediately hang up the phone if a team called, and that should be the Miami Heat.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has the upper hand on Kevin Durant on three occasions. Giannis is 6 years younger than Durant, while being more reliable playing in a minimum of 60 games every year he’s been in the NBA (since the 2013-14 season). The other factor is championships. While Durant has two rings with the Golden State Warriors, he needed a complete team around him. Durant hasn’t been able to get Brooklyn or Phoenix over the hump since his departure from the Warriors. Meanwhile, Giannis brought an unlikely championship to the Milwaukee Bucks on his shoulders.

Since their championship, the Bucks have been ousted three consecutive times in the first round, including by the play-in 8th-seed Miami Heat back in 2023. This wasn’t anything of Antetokounmpo’s discredit, but the Damian Lillard pairing has been deemed ineffective over the last two years. The Bucks could always try to offload Lillard for more help, but their return for Lillard won’t be as great as their return for Giannis.

So why the Miami Heat?

LARGER MARKET

Several reports and rumors have suggested that if Giannis were to leave Milwaukee, he would want to play for a team in a larger market, particularly Los Angeles, New York, or Miami. Antetokounmpo has been outspoken about his desire to see more international players be showcased in these bigger NBA markets. The last time we checked, Giannis is an international player, and if he wants his dream to come true, he likely won’t play in Milwaukee forever.

THE STAR POWER

From the Heat’s perspective, they haven’t landed a star of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s caliber since LeBron James and The Decision back in 2010. Jimmy Butler is the closest Miami has acquired to LeBron’s status, but Butler had already jumped from team to team and he came to Miami with some baggage character-wise. Giannis has been as clean as LeBron was in Cleveland. For a team that needs to rejuvenate the fanbase since Butler’s departure, acquiring a megastar like Giannis would make the Heat faithful forget all about Butler.

Kevin Durant is a big name, but he wouldn’t ignite the Heat fans like Giannis would. Durant is older and has begun to lose his allure among the media due to his inability to stay healthy or his tendency to sit out games during the regular season.

ATTRACTING OTHER STARS

The Miami Heat acquired LeBron James in 2010, but the biggest splash was keeping Dwyane Wade in the 305 while convincing Chris Bosh to leave Toronto for the Sunshine State. LeBron’s star power allowed the Heat to not only create their Big 3 but also attract other key pieces to their four consecutive NBA Finals trips and back-to-back championships. Ray Allen, Shane Battier, Chris Andersen, Mike Miller, and so many others came to Miami because of the excitement LeBron brought to the city.

Giannis could bring that same excitement, but Kevin Durant hasn’t had the same magnetic pull the last few seasons. If Durant were on the team, he would be luring his buddies to come to town. These are the James Harden’s and Kyrie Irving’s of the NBA, who are well into their playing career, dominate the ball-handling responsibilities, and will sit out regular season games that become crucial for playoff seeding. For the Heat, they need to steer away from these types of players who disrupt the Heat’s culture.

PLAYING STYLE

Giannis also fits better with how the Heat would play. Many would question how Bam Adebayo would play alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, but this would be the perfect pairing. Giannis can dominate offensively and allow Adebayo to focus more on the defensive side of the court. While Adebayo can put the ball in the hoop, he shouldn’t be the first or second option with designed play calls. Giannis driving to the paint in just a couple of strides could allow Adebayo to space the floor on the baseline and get an easy bucket, much like Chris Bosh would be open when LeBron James and Dwyane Wade would charge the basket.

For Kevin Durant, the Heat have spot-up shooters. Tyler Herro and Kevin Durant aren’t as physical driving and drawing fouls. Durant’s age and durability also play a factor in Durant likely slowing down to preserve his body in the coming years. Durant thrived in Golden State because Stephen Curry would take on the load offensively if the team needed to be aggressive. Durant’s personality has never been one to seek out those moments.

So, of course, the Heat would accept, but why would the Bucks agree to a deal?

The Milwaukee Bucks should realize Giannis Antetokounmpo could be on his way out of Milwaukee. After three consecutive first-round exits, the Bucks are not giving him the help he needs. With Giannis wanting to play for a larger market anyway, the Bucks won’t have much control after his contract expires after Giannis has his player option following the 2026-27 season.

The Bucks can maximize their value by dealing Giannis away now, getting ahead of the headlines that would convince teams they shouldn’t give up as much for Giannis, due to injury, contract, or if their team chemistry falls apart. If the Heat could do it all over again, they likely would have traded Jimmy Butler last fall. Instead, the media reports lessened Butler’s value and hurt the team in the long run.

Milwaukee’s also in a position to demand anyone on Miami’s roster, including Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo. For Giannis in his prime, the price tag should be through the roof.

If all teams can make it work, the Heat should be pursuing Giannis more than Kevin Durant. And with Pat Riley, anything is possible when it comes to wheeling and dealing. Pat, bring the Greek Freak’s talents to South Beach before you pick up the phone and waste your breath on the Phoenix Suns again.