Charles Barkley Goes Back on Condemning Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade-Only Notion, Suggests Near-Impossible Deal With Mavericks

The NBA offseason isn’t quite here yet, but basketball fans already have an idea of who the main characters are going to be: Giannis Antetokounmpo and Cooper Flagg. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported recently that Giannis is “open-minded about exploring whether his best long-term fit is remaining in Milwaukee or playing elsewhere,” while Flagg looks to be locked and loaded as the No. 1 pick in this summer’s NBA Draft.

Fans had better buckle up for a wild ride this summer as Giannis potentially prepares to leave the only team he’s ever known. It’s not often that a top-three player in the NBA becomes available, so if Charania’s reporting is true, the Bucks are going to be receiving phone calls from nearly every team in the league.

Charles Barkley isn’t a fan of the notion that Giannis has to leave Milwaukee, and he made that point clear last night on Inside the NBA. The Chuckster agreed with Jalen Rose after the former Fab Five member said that he respects it when MVP-caliber players stay home and try to “bloom where they were planted.”

“I 100% agree with you,” Barkley said to Rose. “It bothers me. I get annoyed at people on television. They’re like, ‘It’s time for Giannis to leave Milwaukee.’ I’m like, ‘Wait, y’all didn’t say that about me. Y’all didn’t say that about Patrick Ewing.’ All of a sudden, today’s players, we have to help them win a championship.”

Barkley cited Reggie Miller and Dirk Nowitzki as guys who earned respect by remaining loyal to one team. Besides, he pointed out, Giannis already has a title, so it’s not like he has to go ring-hunting. “This notion that, ‘Oh, we’re not winning here, I got to go,’ I hate that,” Barkley said. “I’ll always hate it.”

Despite hating the Giannis trade rumors, Charles Barkley was ready to go with a mock trade of his own.

Barkley is so beloved, in part, because he’s able to bring humor and fun to his analysis. Sometimes that humor is unintentional, though, and this was one of those cases. Right after blasting the talking heads for trying to get Giannis out of Milwaukee, he turned around and offered his own take on Milwaukee’s best possible trade partner for the Greek Freak.

“If I’m Milwaukee, the first call I’d make is to Dallas. Because if Cooper Flagg goes to Dallas, are they contenders next year?” he asked rhetorically. “That’d be a great way to start the Milwaukee rebound.”

Barkley thought the Bucks could also get some more picks and/or good young players from the Mavs, which he said could put them on the right path, since Damian Lillard is set to miss most, if not all, of next season with his torn Achilles.

There’s just one problem. As reported by multiple NBA insiders, Dallas has already decided not to trade the No. 1 pick. Perhaps that’s due to the backlash the Mavs and general manager Nico Harrison received after trading away Luka Doncic, or perhaps it’s because Flagg is considered such a transcendent talent. Either way, this stance would take them out of the running for Giannis, making Barkley’s proposal moot.

Barkley did make a good point when Ernie Johnson pointed out that the Mavs weren’t expected to trade the pick, and this time the humor was intentional. “That’s what they said about us,” he said about Inside the NBA going to ESPN next year. “We’re never leaving TNT.”

“Never say never,” Dwight Howard laughed.