By all indications, the Bucks tried to do right by Giannis Antetokounmpo when they moved him to the Heat, one of the teams near the top of his personal wish list. But that still leaves the obvious question: if Milwaukee was willing to accommodate the deal, why did Pat Riley have to pay such a massive price to land him?
Riley addressed that directly before pointing to the added value of the 13th overall pick. “As far as what we gave up, we gave up a significant price,” Riley said.
“Was it a nickel more, a dime more, a quarter more, whatever it is. But, you know, John Horst is a great GM.”
The Heat sent out Kasparas Jukucionis, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel’el Ware, and Tyler Herro in the trade, a package heavy on upside and light on future flexibility. It’s the kind of move that brings in the best player by a wide margin, but also strips away a lot of room to maneuver later.
For Riley, though, the math is simple. “He’s worth it - period,” Riley said. “That’s how I look at it.”
Even after making the summer’s biggest splash, Miami still has plenty hanging over it, including the potentially looming decision from LeBron James. Beyond that, the biggest basketball question is how the Heat will find enough three-point shooting to keep pace with today’s offenses.
One answer may already be on the roster in Simone Fontecchio. The 30-year-old wing’s one-year minimum deal barely made a ripple this summer, but Ira Winderman notes that the Italian forward has been a career 36.7% three-point shooter and may never have had a cleaner runway for open looks than he’ll get alongside the Antetokounmpo-Bam Adebayo pairing.
In Orlando, Noah Penda checked off all three boxes Jason Beede says a second-year Summer League player should hit: he stood out, improved on both ends, and offered a glimpse of what’s ahead. Beede pointed to a sharper outside shot and better defense from the Magic forward, while Penda said, “Being able to space the floor was a big improvement that I had to [make] during the summer,” Penda said.
“ … As a second-year (player), you just want to make the right play and show that all the things that are categorized as rookie mistakes - you want to raise that and show growth and poise during the games. “
Atlanta’s latest move was about adding more edge to a roster that already leans hard into toughness. By sending Zaccharie Risacher out and bringing in Luguentz Dort and Ryan Nembhard, the Hawks added another rugged defender to a perimeter group that already includes Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, and third-year guard Devin Carter.
Dort fits right into that mold. Nembhard brings a different kind of bite - small, feisty, active with his hands, and relentless in his work.
He also posted an approximate 5-to-1 assist-to-turnover rate as a rookie last season. The depth chart still needs to sort itself out, but Atlanta has given itself a lot of ways to mix and match, and a roster that looks deeper and more versatile than it did before.
In Other News...
Hawks Fans Just Got A Brutal Reminder About Their No. 1 Pick
The latest reminder for Hawks fans came from a strange little corner of the NBA roster-building world, where No. 1 overall picks are piling up in places that have little to do with the draft order they once represented. The Dallas Mavericks and Washington Wizards each now have three No. 1 selections on their rosters after a recent wave of trades, a sign of how quickly the league can turn former top picks into movable pieces when the right deal comes along.
For Atlanta, the sting is less about the number and more about the name attached to it. Zaccharie Risacher is now part of that reshuffling, and his departure only adds to the sense that the Hawks are still sorting out how their own recent top pick fits into the bigger picture. Elsewhere, the Wizards are already dealing with their own star-driven uncertainty, with Anthony Davis at the center of trade chatter even as Washingtons front office says he wants to stay put. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Just Made A Defensive Move Fans Wont See Coming
Oklahoma Citys latest move sent a familiar face into a much bigger shuffle, with the Thunder parting with Lu Dort as part of a three-team deal that also sent 2024 No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher to Dallas. Dort spent seven seasons with the Thunder and was part of the franchises 2025 championship run, so the reaction around him was immediate and personal, with teammates and even Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt offering public goodbyes.
For Atlanta, the deal adds a rugged perimeter defender to a roster that has made a point of chasing more toughness on that end of the floor. For Oklahoma City, the transaction also creates some flexibility, since the team did not bring a player back in the deal, but the bigger story for Hawks fans is how a move like this can reshape the tone of a rotation before the season even settles in. [Read more 🡒]