Why Jimmy Haslam Traded Giannis Weeks After Dealing Myles Garrett Revealed in New NBA Rumors

Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Jimmy Haslam reportedly played a significant role in the organization accepting the Miami Heat's trade offer for superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo on Monday night.

According to Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo Sports, Haslam preferred the Heat's offer over the Boston Celtics' offer due to the possibility of Jaylen Brown asking for a trade in the near future.

O'Connor noted that Haslam recently dealt with trade demands from Giannis and from Myles Garrett in his other venture as owner of the Cleveland Browns, and he didn't want to potentially go through it again with another star player in Brown.

The Browns traded Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams earlier this month, shipping out the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Haslam reportedly wanted "certainty" when it came to the Giannis trade, and believed the Heat's offer provided it.

Per Sam Amick and Eric Nehm of The Athletic, the Bucks were "very intrigued" by the idea of Brown becoming their new face of the franchise, but they also had "serious concerns" about his interest in staying with the franchise long-term.

Amick and Nehm added that "some signs suggested in recent weeks" that Brown did not want to go to Milwaukee, and had the Bucks decided to trade for him, they may have been "faced with the reality that they needed to trade him under duress to salvage a sensitive situation."

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Bucks agreed to send Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to the Heat on Monday night in exchange for Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakučionis, three first-round picks (including No. 13 overall in the 2026 NBA draft), one pick swap and one second-round pick.

Instant Reaction: Giannis Antetokounmpo TRADED to the Miami Heat

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Charania noted that the Bucks chose that trade package over Boston's offer of Brown and two first-round picks.

It can be argued that by trading with the Celtics, the Bucks may not have experienced a massive drop-off from Antetokounmpo to Brown.

Brown is a five-time All-Star and the 2024 NBA Finals MVP, and he finished sixth in NBA MVP voting last season after averaging a career-high 27.8 points per game.

However, Haslam reportedly had concerns about Brown asking out just like Giannis and Garrett did, perhaps making the Heat deal a safer one.

The trade with Miami was largely focused on young players and draft picks, and the only All-Star coming back in the deal is Herro, who is a hometown guy from Milwaukee.

In addition to Herro, who has averaged over 20 points per game in five consecutive seasons, the Bucks got 25-year-old Jaquez, 22-year-old Ware and 20-year-old Jakučionis, plus a bevy of draft capital.

Milwaukee no longer has a superstar like it did for many years in Giannis, but by bringing in a ton of youth and depth, the Bucks now have a ton of promise and flexibility with their roster moving forward.