Two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo is joining the Miami Heat from the Milwaukee Bucks, multiple US media outlets including ESPN reported on Monday.

Miami won a bidding war with the Boston Celtics for the 31-year-old Greek star, a 10-time All-Star who led the Bucks to a championship in 2021. The Heat are acquiring Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis in exchange for Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., and Kasparas Jakucionis, according to ESPN.

Milwaukee will also receive three first-round picks, a pick swap, and a second-round pick in the deal. The trade ends over a year of speculation about Antetokounmpo's future with the only franchise he had played for since being drafted in 2013.

Antetokounmpo had openly expressed frustration with the Bucks' management for not clearing him to play after suffering a left knee hyperextension, insisting he was fit to help the team's playoff push. In April, after Milwaukee finished 32-50 and missed the playoffs, he criticized the front office for failing to build a championship-contending roster.

"I feel like sometimes people just don't listen. They listen to the sources. The main source is me," Antetokounmpo said at the time. The blockbuster trade reshapes the NBA landscape, with Miami adding a superstar to its core.

Source: www.aljazeera.com