Miami Heat Among Betting Favorites for 2-Time NBA MVP

The Miami Heat are in the mix to land Giannis Antetokounmpo if he asks out of the Milwaukee Bucks after this season.

They have the fourth-best odds at +500 behind the Brooklyn Nets (-200), San Antonio Spurs (+325) and the Los Angeles Lakers (+450), according to online sportsbook Bovada. The Toronto Raptors (+1600) complete the shortlist of betting favorites for the two-time NBA MVP.

The Brooklyn Nets are the favorites to land Giannis Antetokounmpo if he’s not with the Milwaukee Bucks next season, per @BovadaOfficial

Brooklyn Nets: -200
San Antonio Spurs: +325
Los Angeles Lakers: +450
Miami Heat: +500
Toronto Raptors: +1600 pic.twitter.com/Z9CaqY0nHl

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 25, 2025

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The Heat have lost star power after trading away their disgruntled former franchise star Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors at the deadline.

Evidently, they are no longer one of the contenders and have descended to just a fringe playoff team after they had to go through the play-in tournament once again and are trailing in their first-round series against the top seed Cleveland Cavaliers.

But they are short in draft capital to compete against the Nets and Spurs if the Bucks opt to go full rebuild. But if the Bucks just want to get younger and re-tool, either Tyler Herro or Bam Adebayo could be involved in a potential blockbuster trade for Antetokounmpo.

Early Playoff Exit May Lead to Bucks’ Wholesale Change

Appearing on “The Dan Patrick Show” on April 23, NBA insider Chris Haynes hinted at a murky future in Milwaukee if the Bucks fail to make a deep playoff run.

Antetokounmpo’s future is at the heart of the discussion. Asked if Antetokounmpo will finish his career in Milwaukee, Haynes gave a blunt answer.

“I don’t think so,” Haynes said. “This 2025 Playoffs for the Milwaukee Bucks, it’s gonna be pivotal. If they don’t get to the Finals, win the Finals, or even make a deep run, you can probably see some wholesale changes going on in Milwaukee.

“You can go from coaching staff and front office to the players, it can be a pretty big, significant wholesale if the Milwaukee Bucks don’t make a significant run this postseason.”

Haynes added that the Antetokounmpo era in Milwaukee might end as early as this summer.

“I could see them going in a different direction, and yeah, I can see that possibility if things go sour this postseason for sure,” Haynes said.

Giannis Antetokounmpo Open to Relocating

The Bucks just won Game 3 to cut the Indiana Pacers‘ series lead to 2-1. If the Bucks failed to complete a comeback in the series, they would face hard decisions this summer. They are out of draft picks to re-tool around Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, who is also linked to the Heat.

In February, Antetokounmpo dropped an interesting quote in an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about staying hungry to compete for championships.

“Don’t fall into your comfort zone,” he said. “I don’t want to stay in my comfort zone. I want to be challenged. And if the challenge is here, which it is right now – we have a real challenge, people don’t respect us, we have a good group, it’s good. But we might not have a challenge one day. We might be rebuilding as a team, or we might not be chasing nothing.

“So, will my individual athlete be more important than the championship? This is a thing that maybe some players make a mistake. They stay in the place maybe too long.”

He understands that change is inevitable.

“I really believe, don’t stay in a place too long to taint your legacy,” he said. “Like, you’re a parent. It’s going to be a time that you have to let go.”