The Miami Heat ultimately won the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes, and a new report suggests a late change to the trade package helped separate their offer from the competition.
According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick and Eric Nehm, the Milwaukee Bucks insisted on receiving rookie guard Kasparas Jakucionis rather than veteran point guard Davion Mitchell as negotiations intensified in the final stages of the blockbuster deal.
The move proved significant as Miami worked to finalize a package capable of surpassing rival offers, including a strong push from the Boston Celtics.
“Meanwhile, the Heat were eventually willing to include the sort of players and picks that the Bucks envisioned all along, after a fair amount of deliberation,” Amick and Nehm wrote.
“The Heat were forced to respond differently because of the threat posed by the Celtics.”
The report revealed that Miami initially attempted to structure the trade differently.
“Per league sources, the Heat attempted to include point guard Davion Mitchell in the deal instead of Jakucionis,” Amick and Nehm wrote.
However, Milwaukee quickly pushed back.
“Because Mitchell is entering the final year of his deal, as are Herro and Jaquez Jr., the Bucks made it clear that they had no interest in three of the four players in the deal having one season remaining.”
Kasparas Jakucionis swap helped Heat top Celtics in Giannis sweepstakes
As a result, the Bucks successfully pushed for Jakucionis to be included instead.
“So the Bucks pushed for, and landed, Jakucionis,” Amick and Nehm wrote.
“The 20-year-old, 6-foot-5 guard has three guaranteed seasons left on his rookie deal, including two team options.”
The final trade sent Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to Miami. In return, Milwaukee received Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Jakucionis, the No. 13 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, a 2030 pick swap and a 2033 second-round pick.
Boston remained heavily involved throughout the process. Multiple reports indicated the Celtics were willing to offer Jaylen Brown and two future first-round picks in exchange for Antetokounmpo. However, league reporting also suggested Boston was reluctant to include young prospects Hugo Gonzalez and Baylor Scheierman in discussions, limiting the flexibility of its proposal compared to Miami’s final package.
Ultimately, Milwaukee prioritized a combination of established talent, young players and long-term team control. Jakucionis’ inclusion helped address one of the Bucks’ concerns about contract timelines and future roster building.
The report underscores how narrow the margin was between success and failure in the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes. While Miami landed the two-time MVP, the final outcome may have hinged on a single prospect swap that convinced Milwaukee it was receiving the package it wanted all along.
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