Is the grass really greener on the other side? It's far too early for Milwaukee Bucks legend Giannis Antetokounmpo to tell, as he debuts as a member of the Miami Heat. But one of his former teammates on the 2021 title team has a bit of a wake-up call, not only for Giannis himself, but for the fans in Miami expecting to walk into title contention next season.
During a live podcast appearance on Jeff Teague's Club 520 Podcast from Fanatics Fest, former Milwaukee Bucks champion P.J. Tucker was asked about Giannis going to the Heat and what he's expecting out of that move:
"I don't know if they can get the cast to go with it, bro. They gotta get a specific cast to go with them two," Tucker said of Miami's roster surrounding Giannis and Bam Adebayo. "They gonna need shooters and they gonna need defenders... They ain't got no cap, bro. They got all minimums."
Although it's hard to deny that Miami will have an easier time attracting talent on minimum contracts than the Milwaukee Bucks did, it's already becoming clear that the Heat are going to run into the same issues that kept Milwaukee from being a true title contender during the final years of Giannis' reign over Wisconsin.
Just like the Milwaukee Bucks before them, the Miami Heat have limited pathways to build the right roster around Giannis Antetokounmpo.
For all that he brings to a basketball team, there are some areas of the court where Giannis needs help. That's no knock on him — all the greats needed help along the way, just some more urgently than others. Like Shaquille O'Neal before him, Giannis' presence as a force in the paint requires that some savvy shooters and defenders hold down the perimeter, and Miami traded all the players who cleanly fit the bill to Milwaukee for the Greek Freak.
As currently constructed, the Heat will rely on a heavy dose of Tim Hardaway Jr. and Andrew Wiggins to hold down the perimeter. While Hardaway is a proven shooter and Wiggins is, at his best, an excellent perimeter defender, they'll have to cover each other's deficiencies in other departments to play their best. Although both of these players have proven themselves in the postseason at different times, it's a lot to put on either of their shoulders.
Sitting in the middle of the pack in terms of salary cap allocations, the Heat still have a few pathways to acquiring the talent needed to be taken more seriously as a contender. But as the Milwaukee Bucks learned the hard way before trading Giannis, it's easier said than done in the modern salary cap era, when Second Apron restrictions scare GMs and ownership more than the boogeyman himself.
Had Giannis decided to stay, the Bucks would be faced with the same questions. But now that the Antetokounmpo era in Milwaukee has officially come to a close, there's no need for fans to concern themselves with how the Heat are going to figure it out. Instead, they have a clean cap sheet, a replenished draft stash, and a plethora of exciting young players to build the next iteration of Bucks basketball from.
That sounds a lot less stressful than praying you luck into some 3-and-D talent willing to chase a title on a vet minimum after most of the top free agents have already signed.
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