MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - APRIL 10: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks looks on before a game against the Brooklyn Nets at Fiserv Forum on April 10, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Giannis Antetokounmpo era is over for the Milwaukee Bucks. After years of resisting trade overtures for their franchise star, the Bucks finally agreed to deal the two-time MVP as he enters the final year of his contract.

The Miami Heat have acquired Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis from the Bucks in exchange for Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, and the No. 13 overall pick in the 2026 draft, unprotected first-rounders in 2031 and 2033, a first-round pick swap in 2030, and a 2033 second-rounder, according to ESPN insider Shams Charania. The Bucks chose this offer over a package from the Boston Celtics headlined by Jaylen Brown.

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The Bucks finally decided to accept reality that they couldn’t build another championship team around Giannis. The Heat finally landed a new superstar after years of coming up just short in trade offers. The trade that the entire league was waiting for finally happened. Let’s grade this deal for both sides.

Heat trade grade for Giannis Antetokounmpo deal

It’s hard to believe the Heat are the only team in the NBA to make multiple appearances in the NBA Finals during the 2020s. Miami lost in the first round of the playoffs in the two years following its shocking 2023 Finals run as a No. 8 seed, and last season the Heat missed the playoffs completely for the first time since 2019.

The Heat had gone as far as they could with their current roster. They badly needed a star, and they found one who actually wants to be there. This was reportedly Giannis’ preferred landing spot, and it’s likely he signs a long-term contract extension there before the season begins.

Giannis is still one of the best players in the NBA when he’s healthy. He’s a dominant rim attacker, a terrifying transition threat, a sharp passer, and one of the league’s scariest help defenders who now gets to roam next to an elite defensive center in Bam Adebayo. Health has been his biggest issue in recent years. His body seems to break down around the playoffs every year, and it’s why the Bucks made three straight first-round playoff exits before missing the postseason entirely this past season. He turns 32 years old in December.

The Heat don’t have much left after this trade. Adebayo and Antetokounmpo might be the NBA’s best front line, but there are a lot of questions after that. Norman Powell is an unrestricted free agent. Andrew Wiggins has a $30 million player option. The best guard currently under contract for next season is either Davion Mitchell or Pelle Larsson. The point is, the Heat have a lot of work to do to build a contending team around Giannis and Bam after this year. Still, finding stars is the hard part, and Miami has landed one of the best if he can stay healthy.

There’s a lot of risk here if Giannis’ continues to break down after they sign him to an extension. The reality is the Heat didn’t have a better path forward. Miami had been stuck in the middle for years. They refused to tank. Making an all-in push for Giannis felt like their only way out, but the pressure is on in a big way now to quickly transform this roster with compelling role players. The Heat are typically the best organization in the league at development diamonds in the rough. Erik Spoelstra is a living legend as head coach. Let’s see if they can do it again.

Heat grade: B+

Bucks trade grade for Giannis Antetokounmpo deal

Giannis really should have been a one-team superstar like Dirk Nowitzki and Kobe Bryant, but the Bucks’ grand plans to build around him went bust. Milwaukee’s bold trade for Damian Lillard didn’t work out like they hoped, and it left the franchise without any other assets for future moves. The divorce between Giannis and the Bucks happened in slow motion, but it feels like the best move for both sides.

This feels like the best possible trade return for the Bucks even if it’s a tad underwhelming compared to recent deals for inferior players like Desmond Bane, Mikal Bridges, and Rudy Gobert. The Bucks got quite a bit here given that Giannis only had one more season left on his contract. Landing a second lottery pick in a good draft is nice work. Miami’s unprotected picks in 2031 and 2033 as Giannis enters his late-30s could be juicy.

It really feels like the Bucks squeezed the Heat for the best possible offer. The 2030 pick swap is a nice inclusion. Getting Kasparas Jakucionis, a first-round pick last season, is a worthy flier for the backcourt. Herro is a Milwaukee native and one of the better scoring guards in the league, but he doesn’t really fit the Bucks’ timeline now. I’d bet Herro gets flipped before the season, and the Bucks get even more assets back to help with their rebuild.

I have always loved Kel’el Ware’s raw talent. He’s a bouncy center with a nearly 7’5 wingspan who made 39.5 percent of his threes on 6.5 attempts per 100 possessions last year. He’s a good rebounder on both ends when he’s engaged. Ware is so talented that he often leaves you wanting more, and he never truly earned the trust of Spoelstra during his first two years in Miami. He just turned 22 years old. If he can grow into the Bucks’ center of the future, this package will look a lot more appealing.

This is a sad ending for the Giannis era in Milwaukee, but the Bucks did well to recoup every last future asset they could in the deal.

Bucks grade: A-

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The under-the-pump family violence support sector says a sizeable funding boost feels like a warm blanket.

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Some $184 million was carved out of NSW’s budget to bolster more than 90 specialist services, as the government tackled what it called one of the biggest social challenges facing the state.

Representatives from the sector said the extra money would help reduce waitlists and ensure more staff were on the ground to intervene and provide support earlier.

In his budget speech, Treasurer Daniel Mookhey referenced family violence service Liberty, based in Port Macquarie, on the NSW mid north coast.

Liberty, which arranges crisis accommodation and housing support among other services, was funded to support 440 women in 2025/26.

“(The) team actually supported 1600 victim-survivors, by scraping together donations, through goodwill, through workers driving hundreds of kilometres every day to meet families who had nowhere else to turn,” Mr Mookhey said.

Liberty chief executive Kelly Lamb said community support had been incredible, but extra funding was needed to avoid the strained sector reaching breaking point.

“A worker sitting in front of a woman making a decision about her safety on the basis of funding is absolutely abominable,” Ms Lamb said.

“We need to make sure we’re making decisions based on safety … this investment into the service system will allow the frontline team to be very focused on the woman in front of them.”

Daniel Mookhey says NSW’s support services are bursting at the seams. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS)

Domestic Violence NSW chief executive Delia Donovan agreed investment was necessary to stop a system from falling apart.

“For too long, these services have carried the burden of underinvestment through unpaid hours, fundraising, and doing whatever it takes to keep people safe,” she said.

“(This) investment recognises both the value of that work and the need to sustain it.”

It’s estimated about 80,000 women and children rely on the NSW support services every year.

“Services are full, waitlists are long, and workers have no time left to give,” Mr Mookhey said.

“In any given fortnight, more than a third of services must turn away someone asking for help.”

The funding included $76 million for co-ordinated support for victim-survivors, along with $54 million to help women and children remain safe in their homes after violence has occurred.

About $19 million went towards men’s behavioural change programs.

The budget also boosted funds for frontline policing, including $94 million for an Australian-first specialist armed response command.

The government also spent $109 million on technology upgrades for NSW Police, and $43 million over 10 years to strengthen the state’s firearms registry.

1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)

Lifeline 13 11 14

Men’s Referral Service 1300 766 491

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