There are just a handful of games left in this NBA season, which means soon everyone will be focused on one of the biggest offseason storylines to come along in years: the future of Giannis Antetokounmpo. It’s widely expected that the two-time MVP is going to be traded away from the Bucks this offseason after ESPN’s Shams Charania reported earlier this month that the Greek Freak is open-minded about playing somewhere else.
Advertisement
This is the kind of move that could shift the balance of power in the league, but it’s not a done deal just yet, as whichever team attempts to acquire Giannis will need to put together a hefty trade package.
It’s not every day that a top-three player in the league is on the move, and if trades in recent years for very good but nowhere near Giannis-level players like Rudy Gobert and Mikal Bridges are any indication, it’s going to take something historic to land him.
It was reported recently by NBA insider Marc Stein that the Bucks aren’t giving up on Giannis yet, and are still hoping to convince him to stay in part by counting on his relationship with coach Doc Rivers. Giannis hasn’t formally requested a trade yet as far as we know, so the Milwaukee front office is still holding out hope.
On last night’s episode of Nightcap, Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson discussed the chances of Giannis staying. Johnson thought it would have been possible if Damian Lillard wasn’t injured (he’s expected to miss most or all of next year with an Achilles tear that he suffered in the Bucks’ first-round loss to the Pacers), but Sharpe strongly disagreed.
“No, ’cause they didn’t get to the Eastern Conference Finals in the year that Dame was there,” Sharpe said. “Giannis needs the ball, and Dame likes to have the ball to do what he does. Sometimes it looks good, but more times than not it’s just like eh…”
Even with Dame, the Bucks are in no position to contend. They lost 4-1 to the Pacers this year as Lillard got hurt in the first quarter of Game 4, but they lost 4-2 to them last year when he was healthy. Given the team’s cap situation, there’s no meaningful way to improve and challenge the top teams in the East, even with Giannis.
If Giannis wants to contend for another championship, he’ll need to leave the Bucks
If Giannis wants to go, then it’s rebuild time in Milwaukee. Fortunately, they can ask for a lot in return. Johnson has been adamant that he’s going to Miami and that the Heat won’t have to give up Bam Adebayo or Tyler Herro to get him. We’ve learned over time never to doubt Pat Riley, but that seems like a stretch.
Sharpe brought up a great point that whichever team tries to trade for Giannis will have to break the bank to do so, in which case, there won’t be much left over. If that’s so, then why would Giannis want to go to a similar situation to the one he’s in now, with not enough pieces around him to contend?
The Rockets and Spurs have been mentioned as the two favorites to land Giannis because of their deep well of assets, but both teams would have to significantly drain their rosters to acquire him. Not to say that it wouldn’t be worth it, but the Spurs might have to give up the No. 2 overall pick, Devin Vassell, Stephon Castle, and more to make it work.
Giannis plus Wemby sure seems like a winning formula, but the new president of basketball operations, Gregg Popovich, would have a lot of work to do to get the rest of the roster up to snuff. The same is true for the Rockets, who would have to part ways with some combination of Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, and Jabari Smith.
Now that the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes have been decided (and Dallas would be an intriguing Giannis destination if the Mavs hadn’t already said that they aren’t interested in trading the top pick), this offseason is going to be all about Giannis. Get your popcorn ready, because this is going to be fun to watch.
