After months of tedious speculation, Giannis Antetokounmpo was finally traded to the Miami Heat.
It initially appeared as if the Pistons might be involved as a third team but it was revealed yesterday that they had walked away from the table, likely because they couldn’t stomach the cost to acquire Tyler Herro, a guy who played 33 games last year and is on an expiring contract.
Even though the Pistons didn’t (yet) get what they want, this deal represents a near best-case scenario for Detroit.
Giannis is out of the Central Division and didn’t go to the Celtics
The trade seemingly came down to Miami vs. Boston, and Milwaukee reportedly wasn’t secure in the idea that Jaylen Brown would want to stick around in Wisconsin. They took the Miami deal instead, which was a poo-poo platter royal without a single great asset but a bunch of ok ones.
The good news is that Giannis it out of the Central, which means the Pistons don’t have to play him four times a year, which is nice, as the Greek Freak has gotten fat on Detroit in his career.
Instead, Giannis goes to South Beach, where they just gave up a big chunk of their roster and assets to acquire him. Bam Adebayo and Giannis may be an All-NBA frontcourt, but they are left without much else and few ways to acquire players.
The Heat always seem to find a way, and having Giannis will help attract the ring chasers, but they are asset poor and hard capped, so adding any kind of impact talent will be challenging.
The best-case scenario for the Pistons (and the rest of the league) was Giannis going to a team that wasn’t already a contender, one that would have to dive deep into their assets to get him.
I’m not sure Giannis makes Miami a contender and certainly isn’t as dangerous as him going to a team like Boston or OKC.
The Pistons can still land Tyler Herro
Even though this trade was announced as a two-team deal, there is a strong chance more teams get folded into it before it has to be completed in the first week of July.
The Bucks could still decide they don’t want Herro and flip him to the Pistons as part of this deal or in a separate transaction.
The Pistons have clearly set their price and have some leverage here, so if the Bucks come calling, they may be able to get Herro without giving up as much, as he’s not a guy Trajan Langdon is going to go “all-in” to get.
I see fans overreacting to every move, but this offseason is still shaping up to be a big one for Detroit, and this Giannis deal didn’t change that.
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