Miami's Final Push for Giannis Antetokounmpo: A Critical Juncture in NBA History

We have reached the final hours of a potential Giannis Antetoukounmpo trade and we are down to two NBA franchises. Two heated-rivals, dueling it out for the future Hall of Famer.

With reports coming in that the Boston Celtics are making their final push for Giannis Antetokounmpo, by putting Jaylen Brown on the table.

The Miami Heat will keep ‘trying their best’ to acquire Giannis despite the recent Boston push, per @TheSteinLine “I don’t think the Heat are going to say ‘well, we gave it a good run.’ The Heat are not going to stop trying until they know that they’ve missed out on Giannis. It… https://t.co/L3xiXxqON2 pic.twitter.com/tE9BPqyNVS

When someone forces your hand, you have a decision to make. You can either roll over, and find an excuse to defend your decision, or you go all in.

The Miami Heat must go all in, because that is what it is going to take to acquire the star that they have hunted for the past half decade.

Milwaukee's front office has a split in what they want, their owner appears to want the star, while they are weighing Miami's package.

Bucks Ownership would like a star player in return for Giannis, per @TheSteinLine “Based on everything I’m gathering, ownership in Milwaukee, wants a star player if they’re going to trade Giannis after 13 seasons, they want at least one star back. Someone they can point to as a… pic.twitter.com/WsCns2XrFT

Miami's package is highlighted by a lottery pick in this year's stacked draft, Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr. Kel'el Ware, future draft capital, and they could add in Pelle Larsson and/or Kasparas Jakucionis, a hand that is being forced by the Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtics.

Shams Charania has confirmed it's a two team race:

Miami coming second place for the star yet again would be their fault, no matter how you look at that situation (a future article will cover this fact) and they can't let it happen.

Pivoting to Kawhi or Morant isn't enough, it won't hang another banner in South Beach, and it won't save them from the infuriated fans after Miami failed to acquire another star.

If Pat Riley has one final act, the time is now, becuase in the modern NBA, free agency and future cap space are not the way, you have to pick a direction, a full push forward, or a full step back.

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Austin also writes for the Five Reasons Sports Network, covering all South Florida sports. As a current athlete, Austin specializes in in-depth analysis, player profiles, combining on-field knowledge with strong storytelling to cover football, basketball, and beyond. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Sports Business Management at Webber International University. Twitter: @austindobbins13

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