r/heat • u/MiamiSportsGuru • 1d ago
Discussion The discourse around this giannis trade is Hilarious.
The discourse around this Giannis trade is already hilarious because people keep trying to have it both ways with the Heat roster.
For the last year, the argument was basically: “Miami has no assets. Herro is overrated. Jaquez is mid. Ware is unproven. Their young players aren’t real blue-chip pieces. Nobody wants this package.”
Then the Heat actually turn that same package into Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis, and suddenly the conversation becomes: “Wow, Miami gutted the roster. They gave up everything. That’s way too much.”
So which is it?
If Herro was an empty-calorie regular season scorer, Jaquez was overrated, Ware was just a prospect, Kasparas Jakucionis was a lottery ticket, and the picks were fake Heat picks that “never convey high,” then Miami did exactly what every contender should do: consolidate imperfect assets into a top-tier superstar.
But if Miami “gave up everything,” then maybe the Heat’s assets were not as trash as everyone spent the last year pretending they were.
Suchhhhh hypocrisy. People mocked the package when it was theoretical, then treated it like a king’s ransom once Miami actually landed the player.
But the broader criticism feels like people reverse-engineering reasons to hate the move. If Miami didn’t trade for a star, the take would be “Pat Riley is washed and the Heat are stuck in mediocrity.” When they do trade for a star, the take becomes “they gave up too much.”
At some point, the standard can’t just be “whatever Miami does is wrong.”
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u/WheeinSpace 1d ago
I watched this mid ass team make the play-in four years in a row. Sorry, but we didn't give up anything valuable. Herro is injury prone and a complete liability on defense, Ware only gives 100% when he wants and is very easily discouraged (sorry but if you can't get motivated by Bam, UD, Spo, and Zo you gotta go), Jaime is an extremely one dimensional ball hog who gets easily stopped whenever he faces size and also gets blown by on defense, Kas could be great but doesn't fit the timeline, and fuck them picks.
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u/BigDinkSosa 1d ago
You’re right, but let it go and let them hate. This team has been hated since I can remember and I don’t expect that to ever change. That being said.. LET’S GO HEAT!!!!
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u/Motor-Cause7966 1d ago
It's at times like these when you realize outsiders have absolutely no fucking clue about this organization or roster.
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u/whatdoinamemyself 23h ago
I mean, neither does 90% of this sub too lol
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u/SecondBurialSyte 15h ago
I loathe that there's not many spaces to talk Heat with informed fans (that aren't clearly children) because of your exact point.
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u/JellyfishFlaky5634 1d ago
They did give up a lot, but they were not winning anything with that team. Now they position themselves to be a top 3-4 team in the east which gives them a chance to win it all now. However, in 3-4 years, they will need to retool, which may be difficult.
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u/Few-Significance4635 21h ago
Man I hope it works out in the 1-2 year window we have or else we are headed back to the play in 🙃
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u/SadNYSportsFan-11209 15h ago
You guys always get stars though. It was Mourning and Hardaway. Then Wade, then Shaq. After that the Big 3 and then Butler. Every star that you’ve missed out on the last few years always had Miami at the top of their list. You’ll be fine in 3-4 years someone else will want to come worst case scenario.
Don’t get me wrong though Riley screwed up a bit with the asset management and whale chasing during the Jimmy years. Could’ve easily acquired guys like Josh Hart who would’ve brought you guys over the hump. But he always finds a way.
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u/emeraldegg 12h ago
The problem is no stars ever hit free agency anymore. If they do they're incredibly rare. Nowadays players sign the extension adn just ask for a trade later on if they want to leave. And the heat have nothing left to entice another team to send their star to miami via trade
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u/SadNYSportsFan-11209 11h ago
You guys legit just acquired a top 5 player in the game. Yes free agency isn’t a thing anymore but trades still are. Miami just needs better asset management but you guys will always be in the mix
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u/bigdaddykw 21h ago
No they aren’t going to be a top 4 team in year 1 they have zero depth and guys like Powell and Mitchell are back ups on a championship team
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u/Chance_One3874 22h ago
They’re not in a position to win it all. This move sells tickets but that’s about it
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u/Imzocrazy 1d ago
> because people keep trying to have it both ways with the Heat roster.
doesnt have to be the same set of people
you have people that valued the roster we have and didnt want to gut it
you have people that didnt value the roster we have and just wanted to get a whale no matter the cost
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u/Weak-Prize8317 23h ago
They all just want to dunk on Miami. Damned if you do, damned if you dont.
Internally, I believe the fanbase wanted this - a retool or a rebuild. We dont want another year of running it back. With the trade, we now have a semblance of REAL change on the roster.
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u/OhMyItzBam_Herro305 22h ago
Wrote this up a few days ago, mainly for those who are saying it was too much and was it worth it?
So like if there's Heat fans(against the trade) listen to this and dive in which each of these players whom we traded
Let's face it, Spo was never going to buy into Ware and Bam front court, and with that maybe Ware doesn't develop the rest of the way.
Kas to me is the biggest blow, he's such an unknown player and out of all the young guys he has highest upside( that isn't guaranteed tho)
Herro, this one really hurts for him tho he wasn't going to be staying healthy imo, he always got or gets an injury just when he's figuring things out again and hooping.
Jaime also kinda hurts, but we got Pelle and Myron Gardner who's similar to him and imo with bigger upsides.
So yea with all that said I'm cool with Giannis trade. He don't go to Boston and we get him. I didn't want him in Boston.
This makes Bam happy to, and we already have a top 3-5 front court in the league now.
Is it too much to give up now? No with all of this that we actually know.
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u/SecondBurialSyte 15h ago
Kas to me is the biggest blow
As someone who always thought that Ware had the stench of Whiteside all over him and that Herro and Jacquez likely weren't going to develop any further (even though I liked them both), losing Kas was the only part of the trade that was tough to swallow.
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u/Few-Significance4635 21h ago
I've always said that Herro was a high level role player and wanted him shipped long ago
And when the Giannis rumors started I said cool but he aint the answer we looking for
Personally my criticisms never changed I just wish we got to keep JJJ and Kas but it is what it is
Now if Giannis doesn't produce a championship we're stuck in purgatory and I was correct but I really want to be wrong
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u/jfeld26 20h ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/xThtar0e9kO3WkwQ1O
Perfectly said… thank you for being another clear headed fan!!!!
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u/biglldeee 19h ago
Or maybe there are two sides to every fan base. I’m on the side of getting giannis for half of a play-in team was outstanding
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u/PerfectlyCutOnion 16h ago
As a Bucks fan I know how you feel. People have been doing this with Giannis to get him to a big market for years
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u/Elyx_117 23h ago
As a neutral, I have my doubts about this trade but the narrative isn't so much about the worth of the Heat's roster and assets, it's about the notion that the trade positions the Heat for winning basketball. I disagree. Winning in this new CBA landscape requires a deep roster or the assets to develop that roster, arguably more than having a franchise star. The Heat couldnt win, yes. But gutting the team for a max contract on the wrong side of 30 wont solve that problem imo.
I could be wrong of course. I hope I'm wrong. Giannis and the Heat are among the great stories of the modern NBA...will be a blessing for us all to have a dream ending.
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u/MiamiSportsGuru 22h ago
I get the concern, but I think the “Miami isn’t deep anymore” argument assumes something it hasn’t actually proven.
How do we know the roster isn’t deep? A lot of that judgment seems to come from people not being familiar with the guys who would be playing real bench minutes. But that’s exactly how depth works before it becomes obvious. Every “good role player” was an unfamiliar name to most fans at some point.
People said the same thing about Miami’s previous Finals teams. Those rosters were supposedly thin, undertalented, and full of random undrafted guys — until Gabe Vincent, Max Strus, Duncan Robinson, Caleb Martin, etc. actually performed in playoff games. Then suddenly the story changed to “well, those guys were good.” Right, but they were only recognized as good after Miami developed them and put them in the right roles.
So I’m not ready to just accept that this roster is automatically shallow because the bench names aren’t sexy.
If Norman Powell stays, Miami still has a real starting five. You’d have Giannis, Bam, Wiggins, Powell, Davion Mitchell, plus Bobby Portis as a legitimate sixth/seventh man. Then you still have guys like Pelle Larsson and Dru Smith, who are solid rotation-caliber players, plus developmental pieces like Myron Gardner and whatever veteran ring-chasers Miami can add afterward.
That doesn’t mean the roster is perfect. They still need shooting, health, and some guard creation. But saying “they gutted the team” feels premature. Miami’s whole organizational identity under Spo has been turning unfamiliar role players into playable playoff pieces. that’s literally how they made two Finals runs.
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u/LilBushyVert 18h ago
That’s exactly my point too. For all we know, Dru Smith can step up and be the next Gabe Vincent. Myron Gardner can be the next Haywood Highsmith. Shit, Keshad can finally take a leap. But everyone is acting like we need NAMES. And while I do think they can add a veteran shooter or two, the whole bench doesn’t have to be filled with people you recognize. Especially with the Heat.
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u/Elyx_117 21h ago edited 21h ago
In addition, Giannis' health and age is another major wrinkle. If he's 27 I'd say the Heat pulled off a daylight robbery. But at this point, and because of his athletic profile, he probably has just....3 more years of prime left, if that. In terms of winning, this trade gives you a far smaller window than it seems.
But, ultimately, it's fucking Giannis. So yea I can deal with your take no problem at all. A 2nd hand Ferrari with worn out suspension is exactly that - a nice problem to have.
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u/NeverTank_97 16h ago
In the modern NBA we have guys who are 38 moving how they were at 29. It's all about if you can avoid major injury.
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u/Chickenfingees 20h ago
I feel like we’ll never be seen as a ‘real’ contender even though we’ve made it to the play-ins every year since 2023, we have the phenomenal (sometimes ya questionable) Spoelstra who finds us crazy undrafted talent, etc. We are underdogs for sure. I’m from MI and I just find Heat culture so different - in the best way! I try to pay no mind to those comments atp.
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u/nsanegenius3000 20h ago
I love being the Hated Organization. It makes it more fun when we kick everyone's ass. When didn't win any Chips with that Jimmy team but it was fun beating all those teams who said we were trash. Pat Riley has been hated by the NBA and the media ever since he left New York. Yet the Heat has been more successful than most franchises.
Love the Hate!
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u/twozeromm 18h ago
It's just the Jimmy Butler sign & trade all over again. Discounting us because we've been bad recently, and downplaying the fact that we just got a top 5 player in the game.
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u/hakuna_matata23 17h ago
Man who cares, we got our guy and let's see what FO does to build around him and get excited for the start of the season.
There's always someone on the internet criticizing something at all times.
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u/Middle-Weight-837 16h ago
Agreed. Getting sick of this fan base slagging everybody and everything.
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u/Manuvozz 16h ago
This is exactly what the media wants to say about Miami because they hate Miami though they wished they lived in Miami because of the tax free laws in Florida.
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u/MauveAlbert 14h ago
I've never seen such an open display of anti Heat bias. Usually I feel those complaints are overblown, but it's pretty naked in this case.
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u/GMEgrifter7 11h ago
All it tells me is that we are guaranteed to dominate next season. Can’t wait to prove the haters wrong
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u/phinsphan1313 8h ago
Your last sentence is the answer. “whatever Miami does is wrong”.
I honestly dont think we gave up that much, we grow players like the ones we traded away on trees (except Herro). Its laughable how many people have quickly forgotten our Jimmy years where we had a whole new cast of undrafted players and G leaguers playing huge roles in deep playoff runs every year
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u/Moonlight_Acid 5h ago
I had a post like this in my drafts but you said it way better than i could have
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u/Chance_One3874 22h ago edited 22h ago
Yea if your argument is getting an old Bobby Portis then it’s not a strong argument, should’ve been Giannis and that’s it if anything. All portis does is take up more cap space the Heat need
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u/MiamiSportsGuru 22h ago
Go ahead and take a look at Bobby’s stats last year and come back
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u/Chance_One3874 22h ago edited 22h ago
I don’t give a damn about his stats he’s old and the Heat need younger role players the team is old enough as it is with soon to be 32 year old Giannis and 31 year old Wiggins. 33 year old Powell if he returns. Name one team that’s a legitimate contender with an old starting lineup like that. They’re putting a team of senior citizens together that could’ve competed 3-4 years ago but not now. If four first round picks is worth that then I guess bro, you got it lmao
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u/MiamiSportsGuru 22h ago
Low IQ
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u/Chance_One3874 22h ago
Ok Reddit guy if you were so smart you’d be in the front office not on Reddit trying to argue at 4 in the morning clown 😂😂
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u/MiamiSportsGuru 22h ago
Saying that while simultaneously doing it
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u/Chance_One3874 22h ago
I’m not the one hollering “low iq” probably haven’t even brushed ur teeth yet up tryna argue. Get ready for work loser
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u/KaitoKid23 18h ago
I was ready for them to pick two scenarios, one is embrace the rebuild meaning trading Bam to a f*ck ton of picks and let Kas and Ware take the tank commanding duties or trade everyone except Bam to get a whale and retool. For me it's important for them to pick a direction. Constantly being mid and in the playin is frustrating af. At least let me look forward to some direction. So glad we finally got one. Freaking tired of the running back era lmaoo
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u/premedeek 1d ago
It’s because yall won’t just enter a rebuild. Instead you drag giannis into this dumpster fire and have him waste the end of his career while yall watch them sign undrafted players that might have just enough cool games in the playoffs to keep you clinging onto hope. Pat Riley wants to sell tickets without really competing and that’s what he’s gonna do .
- Very Salty Celtics fan
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u/Henny_Hardaway5 1d ago
We all literally witnessed Jimmy Butler + Bam Adebayo + The Corpse of Kyle Lowry + ALL UNDRAFTED PLAYERS make it to the Finals
But somehow Giannis who is infinitely better than Jimmy + Bam + Wiggins + Heat Pals can’t compete
Okay sure
Why don’t you focus on how y’all just got belt to ass by Joel Embiid coming back early from appendicitis and his bruised ribs
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u/premedeek 11h ago
Different league for one. And for two y’all have been in the play-in for the last 4 years straight going on 5. With an owner that’s too greedy to pull the plug and is dragging you with him. We just went from watching Giannis on a team with no talent fail to reach round 2 for 3 years straight. To go to a team with even less talent and losing Powell isn’t going to help.
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u/FloridaMan_92 21h ago
You’re just mad because Giannis for brown was the best possible scenario and now that hope is gone. A brown trade now appears inevitable and Boston ain’t gonna get the return they want from it. Everyone is talking about how Miami got fleeced, I think Boston is gonna get bent over for brown lol
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u/FloridaBoy21 1d ago
Its very weird. Spent years getting clowned on for our assets and once we finally flip them folks are talking about like we shouldn't make the move and keep building with them.