Rich: Why the Miami Heat Gave Up Too Much in the Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade with the Bucks

What is old is new again, and for Rich that includes the worst take he believes he has ever had on this program.

He set it up through his "This Was SportsCenter" nostalgia series, the one he has been loving putting together, with the Chris Fowler episode running and a Craig Kilborn finale on the way. The point of the whole exercise, Rich said, is that you never know what becomes relevant again. Which brings us to Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Years ago, when the Miami Heat shocked everyone in the bubble and reached the NBA Finals against the LeBron James and Anthony Davis Lakers, the chatter was that Miami should trade for Giannis. Rich said no. Do not give up Tyler Herro. Do not give up the core of your future. Giannis stayed in Milwaukee and won a championship, which Rich admits made his take look even worse.

Then he went on vacation, and the Heat finally did it. Six years later.

"Guess who traded for Giannis," Rich said. The Heat sent out Tyler Herro and Jaime Jaquez Jr. as part of the package, plus a pick swap and an unprotected first-round pick that runs all the way to 2033. "That's seven drafts from now we'll be talking about this." Miami did get Bobby Portis in return, no slouch, but the framework looked familiar, and so did Rich's reaction. You gave up too much.

This time he opened it to the room, and the room agreed. Too much, too late. The bigger issue, the cast pointed out, is the supporting cast. It is Bam Adebayo, Giannis, and who else? Are they better than the defending-champion Knicks? No. Better than the Pistons, Magic, Celtics, Hawks, or Cavaliers? The table said no across the board.

From there the conversation turned to the deal Miami did not have to make and the one Boston nearly did. Word was the Celtics were relieved they did not trade Jaylen Brown for Giannis, though Brown could still be moved at any moment. That sparked a friendly argument about whether trading an All-NBA player for the two-time MVP was worth it. The case for: Boston stays elite in the East, Miami lands a bona fide superstar and is still likely a play-in team. The case against: endless picks, the OKC blueprint, a rebuild dressed up as a splash.

Either way, the Bucks chose the Heat's offer over the rest, and Rich tipped his cap to Milwaukee for the haul they pulled back.

He closed the loop with a callback that fit the theme. Back in 2020 he thought he was vaccinated, both literally and figuratively, from his bad Giannis take. Sure enough, he was the first person in the building to catch COVID after being fully vaccinated, and he wound up talking about it on CNN. Now the take is back too.

"I cannot believe the Heat traded for Giannis," Rich said, "and I'm sitting here thinking, do I go on the show again and say, why did they do that?" Wild days. He just did.