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Yahoo! Sports

How the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade moved the Miami Heat's championship odds

By Ben Fawkes
June 23, 2026 2 Min Read
Comments Off on How the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade moved the Miami Heat's championship odds

The Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes finally came to an end late on Monday night, as the Milwaukee Bucks reached a deal to send him and Bobby Portis to the Miami Heat for a bevy of young players and draft capital, including three first-round picks.

Tyler Herro, center Kel'el Ware, forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. and second-year guard Kasparas Jakučionis are headed to Milwaukee, along with three first-round draft picks (including the No. 13 selection in the tonight's 2026 NBA Draft), one pick swap (2030) and a 2033 second-round selection.

The trade moved Miami into the upper tier of contenders by the odds, but oddsmakers have questions on the team's true contender status.

The Heat had 30-1 odds to win the 2026-27 NBA championship at multiple sportsbooks, and moved up to 18-1 after the deal. That moves them squarely into the fifth-best odds to win the title, behind favorites San Antonio and Oklahoma City (+260), Boston (+650) and the New York Knicks (+750). The Detroit Pistons, Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers are behind them at 25-1.

"I think the Heat have some more moves to do," Halvor Egeland, BetMGM risk manager, told Yahoo Sports. "The spacing will be tough on Bam [Adebayo] and Giannis. They've certainly become contenders in the East, but they'll need to figure out that roster ahead of the season if they want to be a legitimate title contender."

Miami moved to third-best odds (+650) to win the East, behind the Celtics (+240) and Knicks (+275). Boston's title odds were already high at sportsbooks, so the Celtics not landing Antetokounmpo only moved them back slightly from +550 to +650.

"I think it was a good deal for both the Heat and Bucks," Thomas Gable, sportsbook director at The Borgata in New Jersey, told Yahoo Sports on Tuesday morning. "The Heat have a formidable starting five now. Bucks have to rebuild and received plenty of picks and could always move Herro as well."

Antetokounmpo is tied with Anthony Edwards (14-1) for the fifth-best odds to win NBA MVP next season.

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