At this point in the NBA season, it's clear that the Miami Heat are in desperate need of a big trade. Without one, they risk a third straight appearance in the play-in tournament and potentially another wasted season.
Fortunately for them, Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo may soon become available, an uncomfortable reality for Bucks fans but a real possibility. In fact, it's entirely possible that Giannis will soon play his final game with the Bucks, with the NBA trade deadline little more than a month away.
The Heat are hoping to be the team that lands him, and they do have a puncher's chance, though the NBA isn't doing them any favors. By now everyone knows that Heat guard Terry Rozier allegedly bet on games and is no longer with the team even though he is still under contract for $26.6 million this season.
Even despite the controversy surrounding him, his expiring contract could be a valuable asset since it would allow another team to shed serious salary were they to acquire him. Miami obviously hopes to use that contract in a big trade.
Especially if it nets them Giannis, but as the Ringer's Bill Simmons points out, the NBA is screwing over the Heat.
This is ridiculous. It’s literally his job to decide on stuff like this. https://t.co/yrHEYQTNuq
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) December 17, 2025
The NBA has absolutely screwed the Heat in the Terry Rozier debacle
The problem is that the Heat have no idea whether they can actually move Rozier's contract until they submit a trade to the league. That puts the Heat in a bind. They have a massive expiring contract that could be a valuable trade piece but won't actually know whether they can use it until a trade is in the final stages.
Idk if the Heat should get their own pick back, but if they can't even move Rozier, they should at least get a compensatory pick. It just strikes me as strange and a bit unfair that the Hornets were allowed to toss that grenade to the Heat and now Miami's dealing with the boom. https://t.co/LytuS8I5dY
— Sam Quinn (@SamQuinnCBS) December 17, 2025
The NBA opting not to tell them beforehand is absurd and baffling at the same time. Imagine if the Heat and Bucks agree to the framework of a Giannis trade and Miami believes that they are about to land a top-3 player only for the trade to be rejected.
That would send the Heat scrambling to include other players or even other teams to try and replace his nearly $27 million salary.
The Heat have another way to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo
The Rozier situation is a strange situation that is virtually unprecedented in NBA history, but so is the league's response. They, according to the NBA's Brian Windhorst, have known about the allegations surrounding Rozier for nearly a year.
Yet they haven't clued the Heat in as to whether his contract can be traded. If it can be, great! No harm, no foul (pun very much intended). But if it can't, then Miami should have rap beef with the NBA.
Sure, there are other ways that they can match salary in a possible Giannis trade. I.e., sending Tyler Herro to Milwaukee and Andrew Wiggins to a third team such as the Los Angeles Lakers, who have plenty of expiring contracts to send out, with Giannis heading to South Beach.
However, the Heat could potentially get more bang for their buck by trading Wiggins separately and using Rozier's salary in its place. That would obviously allow Miami to salvage the disastrous Rozier situation at least somewhat, with them still owing the Charlotte Hornets a protected first-round pick. Unfortunately, the league has dropped the ball and left the Heat in limbo.