The Miami Heat’s rough start is turning into a warning sign for anybody who dreamed on Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the Minnesota Timberwolves look smarter by the day for staying out of that chase.
Through nine games, Miami is 3-6, and the early tension is already showing. After Thursday night’s loss to the Golden State Warriors, Antetokounmpo did not speak to the media afterward. The frustration around the situation is obvious, and it has the feel of a team running into the same wall the Milwaukee Bucks did: not enough help around him.
That’s exactly why Minnesota should feel good about how things played out. The Wolves were among the teams reportedly interested in Antetokounmpo this summer, but the Heat ended up making the deal.
So far, Miami’s version of the move looks messy. Minnesota’s alternative path, on the other hand, is starting to look like a clean win.
The biggest reason is simple: the Wolves got better in other ways. The trade for LaMelo Ball looks genius, and the Jonathan Kuminga signing has been awesome. If Minnesota had gone all-in on Antetokounmpo, that entire chain of moves likely never happens.
And the fit questions would have been real. Antetokounmpo is not a perfect player, and this season in Miami has only reinforced that.
He is not the kind of guy who can single-handedly carry an offense, and his defense may be slipping. He works best when the roster around him gives him what he needs.
On paper, pairing him with elite perimeter players like Edwards and Ball would sound ideal. But that wasn’t the reality the Wolves would have been stepping into. If Minnesota had made the deal, Ball would not be there now - he’d still be with the Hornets, or more likely somewhere else after Charlotte moved him.
Then there’s the price. Reports said the Bucks would have wanted Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid, Terrence Shannon Jr., and draft capital for Antetokounmpo. That’s a massive ask, and it would have stripped Minnesota of a lot of what makes its roster work.
Reid was traded anyway, but losing McDaniels and Shannon too would have left the Wolves with very little depth. And the frontcourt fit would have been awkward as well. Antetokounmpo and Rudy Gobert would not have been a natural pairing, because Antetokounmpo needs floor spacing around him, and Gobert would not have provided that.
Miami gutted its roster for Antetokounmpo and is already feeling the consequences. Minnesota dodged that trap, and right now, that looks like a very smart decision.
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A big part of that has been the backcourt mix, where the guard play has started to give Minnesota some real structure on both ends. The Wolves have seen that pairing provide a positive impact when they share the floor, and for a team that has leaned so heavily on Edwards to settle things late, any workable alternative matters. The challenge now is turning that into something repeatable when the game tightens and the margin gets thin. [Read more 🡒]