Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade Package to Heat Revealed as Lakers Could Be Surprise Beneficiary, Per Reports

Giannis Antetokounmpo's time with the Milwaukee Bucks is ending soon. After an 11th-place finish in the Eastern Conference, Antetokounmpo and the Bucks have mutually decided to move on from each other this summer. The Miami Heat have often come up as the frontrunners to land a deal with Milwaukee.

But Giannis has a huge contract, which makes the trade very tricky. Now, smart teams like the Los Angeles Lakers are waiting. They hope to join the trade and get some great players.

Apparently, the Heat have already offered the Bucks a trade offer for Antetokounmpo. NBA insider Michael Scotto revealed that Miami plans to trade Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., and the 13th pick in the upcoming 2026 NBA Draft. If the Bucks decline the offer, the Heat also have Nikola Jovic, Kasparas Jakucionis, and Pelle Larsson as backup offers.

But Milwaukee does not seem to want all of those players. Because of this, the Los Angeles Lakers and Detroit Pistons might step in to help finish the trade.

According to a recent rumor on social media, the Bucks mostly agree with the Heat's offer, but they need the Detroit Pistons to help. This would send Herro to the Pistons, while the Bucks would potentially receive Ware, Jaquez Jr., and Isaiah Stewart.

Having said that, sports predictor Ryan Rueda went on X to suggest that the Lakers should try to claim the spot as the third team in the deal. This could potentially send Ware and Andrew Wiggins to LA from Miami.

"The Lakers need to do everything they can to become the third team in the Giannis to Heat trade and try to land Andrew Wiggins and Kel’el Ware."

Readers should take this information with a grain of salt. While the Heat's offer has been confirmed by reports, the Bucks have yet to agree to the deal.

NBA Insider Believes Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade Could Involve Lots of Teams

While rumors suggest that the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade could involve three teams, NBA insider Brian Windhorst stated that he thinks up to five teams could be part of the mix. He also noted how other teams outside the Miami Heat could end up benefiting from the trade.

Windhorst looked back at the Damian Lillard trade when he was sent to the Milwaukee Bucks from the Portland Trail Blazers. This forced the Bucks to send Jrue Holiday to the Boston Celtics, which ultimately resulted in a championship victory in 2024.

Having that in mind, Windhorst believes that many teams are simply lurking right now and waiting for an opportunity to join negotiations.

"One of the reasons why the league is a little bit frozen right now is not just because of who might get Giannis," Windhorst said on ESPN. "This is probably going to be a very large multi-player trade. There might open up opportunities for 3rd, 4th, even 5th teams."

"You have a team like the Lakers, for example," Windhorst added. "The Lakers are sitting there with potentially a lot of salary cap space. Who's to say that this potential trade with Giannis doesn't open up an opportunity for them? You've got a bunch of teams watching around the outside of the circle as Milwaukee tries to handle their business in the coming days."

The Heat currently has stars like Tyler Herro and Andrew Wiggins, two of whom many teams are interested in acquiring. Wiggins is the more notable trade piece here, given his previous championship experience with the Golden State Warriors.

Again, fans should wait and see. Miami's big offer is real, but Milwaukee is still looking at its choices. They are trying to bring more teams into the trade to get exactly what they want.