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Pat Riley and the Heat are reportedly set to make a big push for a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade over the offseason

New reports are circulating that Giannis Antetokounmpo may have an interest in joining the Phoenix Suns in the offseason. Antetokounmpo is expected to be traded after a terrible season with the Milwaukee Bucks ended with both sides miserable. The shocking news of Giannis reporting the Bucks to the league for not clearing him to play shows how ugly it got to warrant a change.

Suns pre-game and post-game host Flex claimed that Antetokounmpo wants to join the Suns as a preferred destination:

“Giannis absolutely wants to be in Phoenix and is a preferred destination. That’s because of Mat Ishbia, Devin Booker, and what they’re building! That said, I don’t believe the Suns will blow things on an all-in move. Would have to make sense! They love the situation they are in.”

The Phoenix personality claimed that both superstar Devin Booker and owner Mat Ishbia are the main reasons that Giannis would want to join the Suns. Ishbia is considered one of the more player-friendly owners in the league. Kevin Durant named Phoenix as his top option when he was traded from the Brooklyn Nets due to ownership, but the situation ended poorly.

Why It’s Hard To Believe Giannis Wants Phoenix

Winning remains the most important thing to Giannis if he does finally get traded away from the Bucks. The main reason for Antetokounmpo going back and forth between wanting a trade or staying comes down to his comfort level of living in Milwaukee for his entire adult life.

Giannis’ only motivation for leaving the Bucks comes down to putting himself in a realistic chance to win an NBA Championship again. A team adding Antetokounmpo will always feel they have a better chance at the title, but the big trade will likely have to send Giannis to a place where he’s on a strong contender.

The Suns would have to get past teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, and Denver Nuggets to make the NBA Finals. All three of those teams would be stronger favorites over a Phoenix squad with Antetokounmpo on the roster. Giannis will have to settle for the risk of not contending if he accepts a trade to the Suns and extends his deal.

Phoenix Would Lose Talent To Get Giannis

Another major aspect of why this trade likely won’t happen comes down to giving up talent to acquire an MVP caliber superstar. Phoenix would lose Jalen Green after he fit into the offense and played the biggest role in the team making the playoffs via play-in wins.

Other names like Dillon Brooks and rookie Khaman Maluach may be needed to appease the Bucks. Many teams will desire Giannis and make the market too strong to settle for a lackluster deal, regardless of what Antetokounmpo desires.

Franchises like the Miami Heat can offer multiple young players, multiple first round draft picks and still retain enough talent to contend with Giannis. The Suns might have a chance, but they will have to risk the future and hope to defeat teams with better rosters than them in the same conference.