The Stein Line has reported that rival executives view Jon Horst’s asking price for Giannis Antetokounmpo as unrealistic, which is not exactly good news for the Milwaukee Bucks. Of course, it is his responsibility to find the best deal, but it’s not like there is a bad one on the table.

Notably, former Nets exec Bobby Marks thinks the Miami Heat have the best package. He says it has a “win now” player in Tyler Herro, young players on first contracts and draft compensation which is unclear, but it is presumed the Bucks would want Miami’s 13th pick in the upcoming draft, too. 

If the Boston Celtics aren’t going to be serious and offer Jaylen Brown with at least three picks, then Marks is correct. As great as Brown has been as a real top-15 player, he’s in his prime and the last years of it could be wasted if there isn’t enough next to him to get the Bucks off the ground. With the Heat’s package, the assumed picks make sure they’ll still get quality reinforcements, and it isn’t a guarantee the Heat are juggernauts with Giannis. Who knows how high those picks can be? 

Word has also trickled through the grapevine that the Bucks are not interested in Herro.

His defensive limitations, because of his short arms and skinnier frame, do leave a lot to be desired, but he is a skilled shot creator who averaged 22.2 points on a 56.2 effective field goal percentage over the last two years, with 4.8 assists .

It’s understandable to want someone back who is going to be an immediate impact player in the postseason, and Herro’s résumé there is very thin,  but they have to be good enough to get there first. At the very least, he is gateway player, and a very good one.

He may have been a two-time All-Star if he didn’t start the season with foot/ankle issues, but he’s good now. It should count for something as well that he missed long stretches last season and looked like he hadn’t missed too much of a beat when he suited up in January. Being from Milwaukee is a plus because it would make him easy to connect with fans, too. 

Perhaps one of the consequences of the Bucks not following through with their self-imposed deadline is that rival execs will take them less seriously, lowering leverage for Milwaukee. Still, it only get worse the longer this drags on because the team never needed this drama of Giannis thinking they aren’t good enough, and hopefully it’s put too an end soon.

They could do a lot worse than the Heat's package.