​LAS VEGAS — In his first media session addressing the trade that sent Giannis Antetokounmpo to Milwaukee, general manager Jon Horst made it clear the Bucks were aiming high with the Miami Heat. Responding to the chatter that Miami might have been bidding against itself, Horst stressed that any deal would be possible only if the Heat sent out Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Kasparas Jakucionis, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. The Heat accepted those four players along with a substantial amount of draft capital in exchange for Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis.
“We were very intentional about the players we acquired from Miami,” Horst said. “All four of them mattered to us. We were specific about having them be part of this because we believe it gives us a real chance to establish something and gives us a foundation to build from. Each player was a primary component for us. There wasn’t a deal we would have accepted that didn’t include all four, including Kasparas. Miami valued them all as well, and they should.”
The agreement was reached on June 23, Horst noted, underscoring the Bucks’ calculated approach. “Our assessment,” he said, “was that the ultimate opportunity we had with Miami was what was best for the Bucks organization now and going forward, and what was best for Giannis.” He emphasized that the decision was driven by a belief that the move represented a unique opportunity, one the Bucks might be right or wrong about, but that aligned with what Giannis wanted to pursue and what Milwaukee aimed to pursue in the future.
Close attention had been paid to Kasparas Jakucionis, a No. 20 pick by the Heat in the 2025 NBA draft, who some speculated could be a deciding vote in finalizing the deal. “Specific to him and our excitement for him, listen, he’s a tall guard, a recent first-round pick from a Miami organization that I think does an excellent job in the draft,” Horst told the group of Bucks beat reporters, Milwaukee broadcast outlets, ESPN, and The Associated Press during the session. “He is incredibly competitive, incredibly hard-working, well-regarded by his college coaches, well-regarded by the Lithuanian national team, and well-regarded by people in Miami. So we’re excited about him. We’re excited about his positional size, about his mentality, and about the purity with which he plays the game. He plays the right way. He’s a table-setter. He’s a true point guard. He’s a very good shooter at a young age.”
Horst added that Jakucionis had demonstrated the ability to impact a rotation for a Miami team last season, a quality that resonated with coach Erik Spoelstra, whom the Bucks hold in high esteem. “So we’re excited about him and eager to get to know him better, and we look forward to watching him grow with us,” Horst said.
The Heat and Bucks are set to meet in Las Vegas for the Summer League opener on Friday, a game in which Jakucionis will participate as part of Milwaukee’s roster, further fueling the ongoing intrigue and SEO interest around his role and potential impact.
In sum, Horst framed the deal as a deliberate, forward-looking move designed to maximize what Milwaukee can achieve with Giannis’s future in mind, while also signaling genuine enthusiasm for the young talent being integrated from Miami.