Well, that’s not ideal…
Just when it felt like the Raptors had a chance to climb the Eastern Conference standings next season, the Miami Heat went out and got Giannis Antetokounmpo.
That’s right, the Greek Freak is heading to South Beach. According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the Heat have acquired the two-time MVP from the Milwaukee Bucks late Monday night in a blockbuster deal that immediately changes the outlook of the conference. The Heat are sending Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis and three first-round picks to Milwaukee, while also receiving Bobby Portis in the deal.
It is the end of an era for the Bucks. Antetkounmpo spent his entire career with Milwaukee up to this point (13 seasons). During his time there, he has won two MVP awards, a DPOY, and delivered the franchise’s first championship in 50 years. Now he’ll be chasing another title in Miami. And for Raptors fans? This is probably one of the last updates they wanted to see.
Toronto already has plenty of work to do this offseason. The three-point shooting needs to improve. The roster could use more depth. And the need for a legitimate center was already pretty obvious before one of the most dominant interior players in basketball teamed up with Bam Adebayo.
An Antetokounmpo-Adebayo frontcourt has the potential to be one of the scariest duos in the entire NBA. They’ll have the size, the athleticism, and the defence, making it hard to think of many teams that can match up with that combination.
The Eastern Conference standings was packed last season. Toronto and the Atlanta Hawks both finished 46-36. The Philadelphia 76ers and the Orlando Magic were right behind them at 45-37. Even, Miami wasn’t far back either, finishing 43-39 and sneaking into the play-in tournament. Overall, there wasn’t much separating the fifth seed from the tenth seed. Now the Heat have added Giannis and that could be a major problem.
Instead of fighting for a playoff spot against a fringe playoff team, the Raptors could be competing with a legitimate contender. Every game matters when the standings are that tight, and Miami just got significantly better overnight.
The Raptors already had enough trouble dealing with teams like the Knicks, Celtics and Pistons. The East didn’t exactly need another powerhouse.
However, this doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom for the Raps. Their squad has already shown they still have a promising young core led by Scottie Barnes, who continued to take steps forward last season and looked more comfortable than ever in big moments. If anything, Miami’s move should be a wake-up call.
If the Raptors want to stay in the mix, they’ll need to be aggressive this summer. Funny enough, this trade could actually help with that. Milwaukee looks like a team heading toward some major changes, and that could create opportunities elsewhere on the roster. Myles Turner has already been connected to Toronto this offseason, and if the Bucks decide to keep reshaping things, the Raptors may have another chance to address their biggest need.
One thing’s for sure: life in the Eastern Conference just got a lot harder. Toronto this is your wake up call!
