Giannis Antetokounmpo is reportedly fed up with life as a Bucks player. Rumors have been circulating that the two-time MVP has given the franchise an ultimatum that if things don’t improve in short order, he’ll seek an exit from the franchise. The 29-year-old reportedly has the Nets and the Heat on his wishlist of teams he’d like to play for if he leaves Milwaukee. However, the odds of the Bucks trading him within the Eastern Conference are low, prompting Paul Pierce to suggest a team in the West that he believes would be the perfect fit.
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On the KG Certified podcast, the Celtics icon implored Antetokounmpo to seek a move to the Thunder. Explaining why, Pierce said,
“Man, the best chance for him to win if I’m looking like OKC because they built for long run. Like Golden State, they probably got like two or three years, you know Curry is 35. Draymond up there[34]. Giannis, he could keep this run like six years… And OKC fit that. I’m like now he got some young cuz now it ain’t all the pressure on him.”
The Thunder would be a terrific landing spot for the two-time MVP. They were the #1 seed in the West last season and are off to an 8-1 start this year. They are the youngest team in the league with an average age of 24.1 and are the best team for Antetokounmpo to maximize his potential.
Pierce claimed that unlike Milwaukee, OKC won’t need him to score 30 points and grab 15 rebounds to win. They have an elite scorer in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and terrific defensive players in Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams to ease the pressure off him. The Thunder also have a boatload of assets and can give the Bucks the best package in a deal for the superstar.
While it’s the perfect fit for Antetokounmpo in theory, it’ll likely only remain a terrific hypothetical scenario.
Is Giannis Antetokounmpo on the trade block?
During his NBA Intel series, league insider Brian Windhorst revealed that the Bucks are unwilling to part ways with the superstar. He claimed that several teams have already contacted Milwaukee to gauge their interest in trading the two-time MVP but they have turned down suggestions that he’s up for grabs. He wrote,
“Teams have let the Bucks know in recent months that they will make an offer for the Greek Freak if that day ever comes. But those are incoming calls, not outgoing, and it’s likely to remain that way.”
The Bucks have been in tatters since their first-round exit in the 2023 playoffs. They traded Jrue Holiday to acquire Damian Lillard but the former Trail Blazers superstar had a dismal debut season in Milwaukee. To add insult to injury, the Celtics traded for Holiday and he played a critical role in helping them win the title last season.
Milwaukee hoped that a reset in the summer would flip their fortunes. However, they have gotten worse and are 2-7 nine games into the season despite Antetokounmpo and Lillard putting up stellar numbers. The two-time MVP has been the face of the franchise for eight years, but it seems they’ll have to find a new one soon.
