It is the day of the 2026 NBA Draft, and all chaos has broken loose in the NBA.
Fans, teams, and players have all been waiting to see what happens with Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the domino has finally fallen with an Illini a part of the package deal.
According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the Bucks have traded Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to the Miami Heat in exchange for three first round picks, one pick swap, one second round pick, Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jacquez Jr., and Kasparas Jakucionis.
BLOCKBUSTER: The Milwaukee Bucks are trading franchise icon Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to the Miami Heat for Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, 3 first-round picks (including No. 13), 1 pick swap and 1 second-rounder, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/NQT5ZhdJU9
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 23, 2026
From the sounds of things, this deal had been in the works for a while, with only the details to be ironed out. Antetokounmpo finally gets out of Milwaukee, which he has hinted at for over a year now, and the Heat land their first big star since LeBron James took his talents to South Beach.
The big name for Illinois fans that is a part of that deal is Jakucionis. The 20-year-old spent one season in Champaign, where he averaged 15.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists. His great freshman season enabled him to get drafted in the 2025 NBA Draft with pick No. 20 overall by the Heat.
It was a promising rookie year for Jakucionis. He started 12 games and played in 52 contests for the Heat, where he averaged 6.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game. He also upped his three-point shooting to 42.3% compared to the low-30s he shot with the Illini.
Kasparas Jakucionis has the runway to be a prime player with the Milwaukee Bucks
Most people are going to be talking about Antetokounmpo in this trade, but I am happiest for Jakucionis. He is going to thrive with the Bucks, and he should end up being the starting point guard next season.
Milwaukee doesn’t have anything in regard to the point guard position. No one in the trade is going to play the point guard role. The current Bucks’ roster has a couple of pieces they tried to make work at point guard, but nothing was solid last season.
Jakucionis now has a clear runway to do great things in Milwaukee. He will have the ball in his hands coming up the court, and his team around him will be very familiar, as nearly all of the Miami squad from last year is coming with him.
I am also intrigued by the potential of Myles Turner being around Jakucionis. He is a great pick-and-roll option where he can pop a three-pointer or roll to the bucket for a dunk. This move by the Heat will open all avenues for Jakucionis in the future.
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