There is plenty of optimism in South Florida these days as Giannis Antetokounmpo, a two-time MVP and future Hall of Famer, is set to be traded by the Milwaukee Bucks to the Miami Heat. Miami will also receive veteran big man Bobby Portis while giving up Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakučionis, and draft compensation.
The Heat will now have the outline of what appears to be a championship contender with Antetokounmpo and three-time All-Star big man Bam Adebayo. But some believe fans should pump the brakes on expecting Miami to at least reach next year’s Eastern Conference finals.
NBA icon Tracy McGrady took that cautious attitude a step further during an episode of the “Courtside Cousins” podcast by claiming the Heat need a lot more to contend.
Tracy McGrady Argues Giannis Antetokounmpo Cannot Be the Man for Miami
According to McGrady, Antetokounmpo is a great player, but he just doesn’t have that it factor in crunch time and therefore cannot be a “closer.”
“I like it, but it’s incomplete,” McGrady said. “As great as Giannis is, he’s been great the last five years … he can’t be my 1A. He has to be a guy that through three quarters, you can carry our team. I can’t give him the ball in the fourth quarter. They need a closer.”
Tracy McGrady says you can’t have Giannis as your 1A on a championship team:
“I like it but it’s incomplete. As great as Giannis is, he’s been great the last 5 years, he’s still a guy that can’t be my 1A. He’s a guy that through 3 quarters, you can carry our team. I can’t give… pic.twitter.com/z2AYnQZ4i4
— Heat Central (@HeatCulture13) June 25, 2026
This is quite a bold statement from McGrady, given that Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to an NBA championship just five years ago and was very much a closer.
That year, Milwaukee was coming off early playoff exits in 2019 and 2020 despite finishing with the best record in the league both seasons. Looking to take the next step, it acquired veteran two-way point guard Jrue Holiday prior to the 2020-21 campaign.
Milwaukee finished third in the Eastern Conference in 2021 and survived a scare in the second round of the playoffs against the Brooklyn Nets, who had Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden, to advance to the NBA Finals.
There, Antetokounmpo rose above the competition that the Phoenix Suns provided and led Milwaukee back from a 2-0 series deficit to win the title. The 10-time All-Star averaged 35.2 points on 61.8% shooting, 13.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.8 blocks per game in the series, and he dropped 50 points, 14 boards, and 5 blocks in Game 6 to close out the Suns.
Before that, the Greek native poured in 40 points on 15-of-24 shooting, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists in Game 7 versus Brooklyn. That contest famously went into overtime instead of ending in regulation with a Brooklyn win because Durant barely stepped on the 3-point line while launching the shot that tied the score at the end of the fourth quarter.
If there is a reason to believe the Heat won’t be able to hang with the likes of the reigning NBA champion New York Knicks next season, most would agree it is because their roster is incomplete and not because Antetokounmpo lacks the chops to finish off opponents.
Perhaps McGrady, a man who never even won a playoff series as an active rotation player during his 15-year career, needs to think longer before delivering such polarizing takes.
