- Report: Opposing teams wanted Miami Heat to attach 1st-round pick to offload onerous contracts
- Jimmy Butler praises tennis star Carlos Alcaraz, who says he gets nervous playing in front of celebrities like Heat star
- Erik Spoelstra’s level-headed comments after Miami Heat get walloped by Brooklyn Nets
- Tyler Herro indicates Miami Heat are looking to finish 6th seed or higher
- Gilbert Arenas admits he couldn’t ‘beat [Dwyane] Wade for s–t’
- Tristan Thompson says Miami Heat LeBron James was ‘scariest’ version, Mario Chalmers on some ‘sucka s–t’
- Jimmy Butler admits he doesn’t start ‘playing for real’ until after the All-Star break
- Jimmy Butler on Dwyane Wade: ‘I always want to make him proud’
- Erik Spoelstra ‘open to anything’ amid Miami Heat’s ever-changing center rotation
- Stan Van Gundy says Dwyane Wade is the best last-shot player he’s ever seen
Report: Several Executives Were ‘Praying’ for Miami Heat to Beat Milwaukee Bucks in Playoffs
- Updated: March 16, 2020
While the status of the NBA season remains uncertain due to the coronavirus, a new report indicates that any potential playoff series between the Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks will have some executives rooting for the Heat to knock off the top-seeded Bucks.
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report looked at Giannis Antetokounmpo’s tenuous future with the Bucks, given his potential free agent status next year.
Those executives are hoping that the frustration of not reaching the finals for a second consecutive year will compel Antetokounmpo to reject any contract extension offers by the Bucks.
“Several competing executives couldn’t wait for the postseason to see if the Bucks could advance beyond the Eastern Conference Finals, where they were stopped by Leonard and the Toronto Raptors last year,” Pincus wrote. “They hoped anything but an NBA Finals appearance—and possibly a title—could sour Antetokounmpo on Milwaukee.
“In other words, those executives praying for the Bucks to have an early exit will immediately become the biggest fans of whichever team advances to a second-round series against Milwaukee (the Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers or Philadelphia 76ers, based on the temporarily frozen standings).”
An early exit would make the Bucks more likely to consider a trade, with the Heat among the teams that are seeking his services.
It’s appearing more likely that if play does resume this season, the league will immediately commence with the postseason.
If the top four seeds then advance in the first round of the playoffs, that would pit the Bucks against the Heat.
Exactly what the Heat would have to give up in any trade is unknown, though the Los Angeles Lakers gave up multiple young players and future draft assets to acquire Anthony Davis. That move has been a success, with the Lakers having compiled the best record in the Western Conference this season.
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