Heat outbid by Hawks for $82M ex-Thunder NBA champion to pair with Giannis Antetokounmpo

The Miami Heat entered the offseason looking to make major moves, and they have certainly delivered. Miami had more financial flexibility this summer than it has had in quite some time.

The Heat made their biggest splash on the trade market in June when they acquired Giannis Antetokounmpo in a blockbuster deal with the Milwaukee Bucks.

“The Milwaukee Bucks are trading franchise icon Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to the Miami Heat for Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, three first-round picks (including No. 13 in Tuesday's NBA draft), one pick swap and one second-round pick, sources told ESPN. The Heat are sending to Milwaukee unprotected first-rounders in 2031 and 2033 along with No. 13, a pick swap in 2030 and a 2033 second-rounder, according to sources,” ESPN’s Shams Charania wrote.

The Heat are also in the middle of a pursuit for LeBron James. However, Antetokounmpo was not the only notable player Miami was interested in acquiring. HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto revealed that the Heat also expressed interest in trading for NBA champion Luguentz "Lu" Dort.

“Several teams expressed trade interest in acquiring Dort before he was traded to Atlanta, including the Los Angeles Lakers, Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors, and Miami Heat, league sources told HoopsHype,” Scotto wrote.

It was one of the few moves Miami was unable to complete this offseason, as the Atlanta Hawks ultimately landed Dort instead.

“The Thunder traded All-Defensive wing Luguentz Dort to the Hawks in a three-team deal that sent three second-round picks to Oklahoma City, 2024 No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher to the Mavericks and Ryan Nembhard to Atlanta on Sunday,” Charania wrote.

Had the trade gone through, the Heat would have featured a star-studded defensive core with Davion Mitchell, Bam Adebayo, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Lu Dort. Dort also would have brought valuable championship experience that could have fit well with Miami's roster.

Dort is playing on an $82 million contract. Miami already has one of the league's most talented rosters, but adding Dort would have strengthened it even further. It remains unknown what the Heat were willing to offer in a potential deal, but after completing the blockbuster trade for Antetokounmpo, their trade assets were likely more limited.

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