Giannis Trade to Heat Explained By Bucks GM Jon Horst, 'We Might Be Right. We Might Be Wrong'

Milwaukee Bucks general manager Jon Horst made a big decision to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat, but he said he never felt pressure to move on from the two-time MVP.

Horst said that the team found a "unique" opportunity, and whether he made the right call is to be determined.

"This was not a 'have to,'" Horst told reporters. "This was, we truly believed we've found an opportunity which is unique. We might be right. We might be wrong. But an opportunity where this is what's best for him and what he wants to pursue going forward, and this is what's best for us and what we want to pursue going forward. And that's why we made the decision.

"Ultimately, the only thing that mattered to us organizationally was to work to try to find a trade -- if we were going to do a trade -- to try to find a trade that we thought gave us the best path forward. And if we could do that and have it be a great opportunity for him, we would execute that."

In return for the face of their franchise, the Bucks received four players, three first-round picks, a pick swap and a second-round pick. It's a move that likely means Milwaukee is playing for the future rather than trying to win now.

"No one's sitting here today and saying that we're a better team today after trading Giannis," Horst said. "He's one of the greatest players to ever play, greatest player in the franchise history. We've had an incredible amount of success.

"For us, it was just about the opportunity to build and to again, set a foundation. Can we set something in place with a new coach and take advantage of an opportunity to truly build from a place of strength on a roster that hopefully makes our city proud, our franchise proud and gets us to the place where we are competitive? And we can sustain that competition and that competitive level year in and year out."

While Horst said he felt no pressure to trade Antetokounmpo, both sides seemed to be heading towards a split for the last year or so. Antetokounmpo never publicly requested a trade, but several reports indicated that his representatives asked to move on.

The move could end up paying off in the long run if the Bucks are able to rebuild into a championship-winning team, but for now, Milwaukee is going to feel the effects of Antetokounmpo's absence.