It will take a historic package to lure Giannis away, and only three teams can afford it. The Milwaukee Bucks are no strangers to Giannis Antetokounmpo rumors. If he were to depart, with new speculations circulating that he may be willing to play outside of Milwaukee, only a few teams could afford the historic deal that would be required. Let us break them down.
1. OKC Thunder.
OKC may have won 68 games, but their series with the Denver Nuggets has prompted doubts about whether they need to make another move to win the championship. They are still in a strong position to go all the way, which will ultimately determine what they do this offseason.
It will take a historic package to lure Giannis away, and only three teams can afford it. The Milwaukee Bucks are no strangers to Giannis Antetokounmpo rumors. If he were to depart, with new speculations circulating that he may be willing to play outside of Milwaukee, only a few teams could afford the historic deal that would be required. Let us break them down.
1. OKC Thunder.
OKC may have won 68 games, but their series with the Denver Nuggets has prompted doubts about whether they need to make another move to win the championship. They are still in a strong position to go all the way, which will ultimately determine what they do this offseason.
2. Houston Rockets.
Houston has been mentioned repeatedly in superstar rumors. Kevin Durant and Giannis have both been mentioned frequently. They don’t have as much draft capital as the Thunder, but the Rockets have more prospective players to deal.
The Milwaukee Bucks would likely demand Amen Thompson as part of the deal. Alperen Sengun’s pay is set to increase to $33.9 million next season, while Fred VanVleet has a $44 million team option that would control their future movements. Jabari Smith Jr. and Cam Whitmore have been added to numerous fake transactions.
The Rockets have the Suns’ pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, which might result in a high selection to try to entice a trade with the Milwaukee Bucks. They still have the Suns’ pick in 2027, and as their franchise crumbles, that pick becomes increasingly valuable. If Giannis Antetokounmpo requests a trade, Houston may be best positioned to make the move.
3. San Antonio Spurs.
San Antonio is the final team with assets, and it comes down to 36 potential draft picks over the next seven years. The Spurs brought in De’Aaron Fox to play alongside Victor Wembanyama before the latter was sidelined for the season due to a blood clot in his shoulder.
Mitch Johnson is now the full-time head coach, with Gregg Popovich stepping up to President of Basketball Operations. Could his first major move be to bring Giannis Antetokounmpo in? They have 36 draft picks, which is absurd. They would make up the majority of the trade package, but the Spurs have a few young players who the Bucks would like to include in the deal. Stephon Castle, Rookie of the Year, would be at the top of that list, but wings Keldon Johnson and Jeremy Sochan are also intriguing talents.
Those players are fine contributors, but they are insufficient in terms of present ability, so this trade would have to be primarily about the picks.
The Brooklyn Nets have been mentioned several times regarding their draft assets and cap space. Brooklyn is more likely to be Giannis’ free agent destination because their roster lacks high-potential players. Another aspect could be the NBA Draft Lottery, which is held on May 12. If one of these clubs is fortunate enough to land the top overall pick, they may try to move swiftly and hope the Milwaukee Bucks believe in rebuilding around Cooper Flagg.
Everything is still very unpredictable, as we see every offseason with Giannis Antetokounmpo. For now, he is still a Milwaukee Buck.
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