NBA executives were in terror as news of Giannis Antetokounmpo joining forces with Luka Doncic at Dallas surfaced before he signed a max contract.
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The creation of superteams in the NBA has happened several times. This season we have seen the Brooklyn Nets rope in James Harden to form a formidable trio. The Nets already had Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving and adding Harden made them instant favourites for the title.
The formation of Superteams in the NBA is going on for years now. It is mainly because teams find it to be the easiest way to win Championships.
One such deal which the NBA executives feared was Giannis Antetokounmpo joining forces with Luka Doncic at the Dallas Mavericks. However, this move did not materialize as Giannis Antetokounmpo signed a maximum contract with the Bucks.
The move made a lot of sense as both the players are young and have proven their calibre. Also, they complement each other’s style of play and hence it would have been a deadly combination.
The recent superteams which made the NBA executives scratch their heads were when LeBron joined Miami Heat. He formed a great trio with Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade.
Then in 2016 when Kevin Durant joined Golden State Warriors to partner Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. In both cases, the teams went on to win multiple NBA titles and dominated the league in that short period.
Zach Lowe analyzes how Giannis Antetokounmpo needs to evolve to make the Bucks offense better
Recently ESPN’s Zach Lowe analysed the Bucks and their offensive struggles against the Brooklyn Nets in the ongoing Playoff series. He highlighted how Antetokounmpo needs to evolve his game according to the demands of the Bucks. For now, that looks like the only way they can get back in this series against the Nets.
“Perhaps the follow-on issue is that version of Antetokounmpo — as much finisher as initiator — requires an elite creator closer to his level,” Lowe wrote.
“(This is why rival executives lived in abject terror before Antetokounmpo signed his supermax over the spectre of Antetokounmpo joining Luka Doncic with the Dallas Mavericks.”
Report: Executives lived in ‘abject terror’ before Giannis Antetokounmpo signed extension that he would join Luka Doncic on Mavs https://t.co/dLkpsGYnLG
— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) June 13, 2021
While Antetokounmpo joining forces with Doncic was a momentary concern for the NBA executives. But the fear of multiple superstars coming together to form a superteam remains a cause of concern for them.