Giannis Antetokounmpo shut down four ‘strong bids’ before Heat trade

After the Miami Heat made the blockbuster trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis Jr., the fallout of the deal has been wondering what else was on the table for the Milwaukee Bucks. As rumors will surround the Heat regarding how the deal got done, there were apparently more teams at play that Antetokounmpo himself shot down.

According to Ramona Shelburne and Jamal Collier of ESPN, Milwaukee general manager Jon Horst would present offers to not only the front office and ownership, but also to the camp of Antetokounmpo. ESPN reports that there were “four strong bids” that Antetokounmpo rejected, leading to the final two offers between Miami and the Boston Celtics.

“At least four strong bids had died on the vine after Antetokounmpo rejected them, multiple sources with knowledge of them say,” Shelburne and Collier wrote.

What does the Heat do next after the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade?

Now that the Heat have found their “whale” of a star in Antetokounmpo and added frontcourt depth in Portis, the team looks to round out its roster around the superstar and Bam Adebayo. More importantly, shooting is much needed in Miami, even after the acquisition of second-round pick Ryan Conwell during the 2026 NBA Draft.

ClutchPoints’ NBA insider Brett Siegel would point out how Antetokounmpo’s former teammate, Khris Middleton, and Anfernee Simons would be “fantastic fits” and how Miami is sure to be “aggressive once free agency begins.”

“There’s a clear opportunity here to rise up in the East and become a title threat next to the Knicks, and so the Heat, now with this duo in their frontcourt, are going to look to do so. I think that the names that were mentioned on ESPN, I believe it was Brian Windhorst and Bobby Marks, both mentioned Anfernee Simons and Khris Middleton being potential minimum options or mid-level exception guys for the Heat. Those would be two fantastic fits there, and I fully expect the Heat to be aggressive once free agency begins.”

At any rate, it remains to be seen how the Heat will build around Antetokounmpo.

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