It wasn’t likely by any means, but any hope that the Miami Heat of landing Giannis Antetokounmpo via trade is now over. If it wasn’t clear before, that ship has pretty much sailed at this point. And it’s a comment from Giannis that might have finally put the final nail in the coffin.

According to a Brazilian basketball outlet, Giannis was asked about the NBA Finals and gave a response that would indicate that he doesn’t plan on seeking a trade and that he’s very much forward to continuing his NBA career with the Milwaukee Bucks.

In addition to this development, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst went on Get Up this morning and added that there is no current trade market for Giannis because he’s not asked for a trade yet, and because of that, the Bucks are not even exploring the option of such a move.

There was hope heading into this summer that this would finally be the offseason that Giannis would explore the option of asking for a trade out of Milwaukee. The Bucks have floundered as a disappointing contender ever since winning the 2021 NBA Championship, and, theoretically, if there were ever a time that Giannis was going to ask for a trade, it would be this offseason. At least for now, that doesn’t appear to be happening.

For those across the league that are hoping for Giannis to hit the trade block, they’ll likely have to wait another year. Unless, of course, something drastically changes between now and the NBA Draft.

Giannis remaining in Milwaukee will add clarity to the Heat’s offseason

Even though another star player off the trade market won’t help the Heat, this type of clarity is something that Miami should appreciate. Now that there is transparency on Giannis’ situation, the Heat will be able to more effectively map out what may lie ahead for them heading into the summer.

Assuming that the reporting above is accurate, the trade landscape across the league heading into the start of the offseason is becoming clearer. That will help and fuel the Heat as they prepare for the official start of the summer action.

Perhaps most importantly, the Kevin Durant situation will finally be able to be sorted out now that Giannis is believed to be off the block. You’d have to imagine that before KD gets traded, the Giannis situation needed to be figured out.

In theory, it would’ve been unwise for teams like the Houston Rockets or San Antonio Spurs to make a bold offer for KD with even the mere chance that Giannis could hit the trade block. Again, if all this reporting is accurate and Giannis isn’t going to hit the trade block this summer, the Heat will benefit from some movement on the KD front.

If there’s one certainty for the Heat heading into the offseason, it’s the fact that they’re going to be involved in the KD sweepstakes one way or another. Whether or not they’ll end up pulling off a deal for the superstar wing remains to be seen. However, there’s no question that this latest bit of Giannis news will help push forward that possibility.

The Heat’s pipe dream trade target may officially be dead, but this domino also helps give some added clarity to other avenues of the team’s offseason plans.