A1June 23, 2026·2 min read·266 words·6 vocab words·Source: ESPN

A Big Basketball Trade

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A Big Basketball Trade
Photo: ESPN
In brief

The Milwaukee Bucks trade their star player, Giannis. He goes to the Miami Heat. Bobby Portis goes with him. Miami sends four players to the Bucks. Tyler Herro and Kel'el Ware are two of them. Miami also sends draft picks. Miami fans are very happy because they want to win more basketball games.

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Vocabulary · Words with a dotted underline are vocabulary words — tap for an instant definition.

The Milwaukee Bucks trade a star. His name is Giannis Antetokounmpo. He goes to the Miami Heat. Bobby Portis goes with him. Now Miami has a new player. He is a very tall man. He can run and jump.

Miami Heat fans are happy today. The team gets a great star. Many people watch this big trade. The Miami team sends players away. Tyler Herro goes to the Bucks. Jaime Jaquez Jr. goes too. Kel'el Ware also goes there. Kasparas Jakucionis goes with them. These four players leave Miami today.

The Bucks get these new players. The Heat also send draft picks. The Bucks want these draft picks. The Bucks build a new team. They want to win games now.

The Miami team needs more points. They have a bad offense now. But Giannis can help their offense. He is a two-time MVP star. He can score many points easily.

Miami is not very good lately. They play in the play-in games. They do not win many games. But they want to win now. The last big star is LeBron. He is in Miami in 2014. Now Miami has a new hope.

The fans buy new red shirts. They want to see Giannis play. He wears a new Miami uniform. The players practice with the team. The coaches make a new plan. They work hard in the gym. Sports writers talk about this trade. The teams are ready for games. The fans are waiting for games. The arena is very loud. The team plays games soon. People love this fast sport. Basketball players run very fast.

Speak about it

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Comprehension
Question 1 of 3

Where does Giannis Antetokounmpo go in the trade?

Grammar spotlight

Present Simple Tense

One point · A1

We use the present simple tense to talk about facts and routines. In this level, we only use present tenses.

From this article

Now Miami has a new player.

What to know · A1

Use it today

Try saying this aloud

Neutral register

Scenario: Talking about a new sports player arriving at your favorite school or local team.

  1. 01He goes to the team.
  2. 02He can run fast.
  3. 03We are ready for games.

Register tip · informal

🔑Key Phrases

goes to the Miami Heatis transferred to the Miami Heat team

This phrase shows the destination of the traded player.

Verb + prepositional phrase

The young player goes to the Miami Heat next week.

build a new teamcreate a fresh squad of players

This highlights the long-term goal of the Milwaukee team.

Verb + object noun phrase

They want to build a new team around the rookie.

are waiting for gamesexpecting the matches to start

This describes the excitement of the fans.

Present continuous tense

All of the students are waiting for games on Friday.

🎙️ Article Audio — Kokoro TTS

A Big Basketball Trade

💬Discussion Questions

Open-ended questions to talk or write about — alone, with a partner, or in class.

  1. 1

    Do you like basketball?

    Personal
  2. 2

    Is a big trade good for a team?

    Opinion
  3. 3

    Do you want to see Giannis play for Miami?

    Personal
  4. 4

    Do you play any sports on weekends?

    Personal
  5. 5

    Is it better to have one big star or many young players?

    Compare
  6. 6

    Will Miami win the next game?

    Predict
  7. 7

    Who is your favorite sports star?

    Personal
  8. 8

    Is basketball a popular sport in your country?

    Compare

Adapted from ESPN · Read the original. LinguaPress rewrites the facts as original graded-reader text for language learners.

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