The Miami Heat may get franchise-altering Giannis news Monday night
It is 2026 NBA Draft Eve, and we are close to learning whether the Miami Heat will get coal or cash in their stockings.
It may even happen before the night is through.
After a pursuit that goes back several seasons, the Heat should learn in the next few or several hours whether the Milwaukee Bucks will send Giannis Antetokounmpo to them for their bountiful package of picks and young players, send him to the rival Boston Celtics for All-Star wing Jaylen Brown, keep him past their own self-imposed deadline... or do something entirely unpredictable.
The situation has been made more complicated by apparent differences in opinion and direction inside the Bucks front office and ownership groups, at least according to a few reports that made it to social media and television on Monday.
According to some, relatively new owner Jimmy Haslam wants a face for his franchise, while others prefer the flexibility the Heat can offer.
That's the latest twist in a saga that has gone back for months, to the February trade deadline, in which the Bucks reportedly considered the Heat's offer for the 2-time MVP and 11-time All-Star, but ultimately decided to keep Giannis until the summer, hoping maybe to convince him to sign a long-term extension or at least compel more teams to make better offers.
But now it appears to be back to Miami again, especially since the Heat can now offer the coveted 13th pick in a deep 2026 draft -- and the Celtics, whose late entry into the sweepstakes was signaled by superfan (and The Ringer founder) Bill Simmons and coincides with a seeming willingness to break up the duo of Brown and Jayson Tatum.
Giannis seems ready to go
Monday, there were additional signs that a decision is near. Antetokonmpo posted cryptically on Twitter and Instagram.
And ESPN's top news-breaker Shams Charania, who has been oddly silent during the past week about the Giannis situation -- after reporting incessantly on it for months -- did go on the air to say that Giannis is returning to America in anticipation of some action.
Giannis is on his way back from the states and ready for a trade to Miami or Boston, per @ShamsCharania
- Heat Central (@HeatCulture13) June 22, 2026
"At this very hour the MIL Bucks are moving closer and closer to a trade resolution for Giannis.... He (Giannis) is on his way back from the states as of right now. He's… pic.twitter.com/EPSflgReNm
All along, it has seemed that this time period is when this would get settled, with the Bucks wanting to stall as long as possible to generate the best possible return -- as teams perhaps get desperate -- and with a desire to get it done before the draft, to add additional young talent immediately.
The Heat need resolution too.
If they're not getting Giannis, they need to pivot quickly. Perhaps they will make the pick at No. 13. Perhaps they will trade it for another star; Kawhi Leonard could be a target.
But they can't just sit still.
The disappointment will be tremendous among the fan base, since the Heat have been considered frontrunners at times with Giannis, after missing out on a few stars the past few seasons, including but not limited to Damian Lillard.
And now, everyone on the team but captain Bam Adebayo has heard his own name in trade talks. From Tyler Herro on down, it will be difficult to build a cohesive team for this season with players who know the organization was ready to give them up, even if it was only for one of the top 10 players in the world.
So much at stake.
And finally, so little time.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/heat/onsi as The Miami Heat may get franchise-altering Giannis news Monday night .
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This story was originally published June 22, 2026 at 9:37 PM.