– by Eric Nehm, David Aldridge, Eric Koreen, Tony Jones and Sam Vecenie
With the Milwaukee Bucks season ending with a playoff release in the first round for the third consecutive playoff series, the commercial chatter surrounding the double MVP of the NBA Giannis Antetokounmpo is perhaps hotter than ever.
To be clear, Antetokounmpo, 30, did not demand Milwaukee trade, and the Bucks do not have to exchange it. He has a player option in his contract in 2027-28 and will earn $ 112 million over the next two seasons. He is again a MVP finalist after having an average of 30.9 points, 11.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game in the regular season and finished the first four in the MVP vote every year since 2019.
When the NBA announces the first team of the first All-Nba team from Antetokounmpo in the coming weeks, it will be the seventh consecutive season that Entertetokounmpo was appointed to the first team. It is the longest sequence of all NBA players. Whatever package you think is rich enough to get it, it should be much larger. But if Antetokounmpo finds himself on the commercial market, there will be no shortage of contenders.
Athletics The NBA staff developed the League to see which offers can be there with Antetokounmpo as a centerpiece. Here are four that we thought we deserved to analyze, as well as the analysis of Bucks Writer Eric Nehm on each potential transaction:
Giannis in San Antonio
Dollars get: Zion Williamson, Keldon Johnson, 2025 Pick of first round (Spurs, via Hawks), 2027 Rights Swap Rights (Pélicans), 2029 Pick (Spurs).
Pélicans get: Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan, Pat Connaughton, 2027 Pick of first round (Spurs, via Hawks)
The spurss get: Giannis antetokounmpo
Why that (and would not work): Go big or go home. If the bucks have no choice but to exchange Giannis, they conclude a multi-team agreement which allows them a potential superstar to build in Williamson still 24 years old and a wing in rotation in Johnson. More importantly, they obtain a lot of first first to give them a chance to rebuild if Williamson cannot overcome his history of injuries, including a choice of 2000 at the lottery, and a potential control of their first back in 27, just like Williamson between the last year of his current agreement. New Orleans, after years of uncertainty, comes out of Williamson’s company and goes to a force approach in the figures reinforced by the chops of the Vassell offensive and the defense of Sochan, adding to its young core of Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones, Yves Missi and the return of Dejounte Murray. Pelicans also keep most of their first first caches.
The starting program for Spurs next October is said to be from’aron Fox, Stephon Castle, Harrison Barnes, Antetokounmpo and Victor Wembanyama. I guess Chris Paul would go up one or two more seasons as a backup of Fox. They would also have other players on their list. – David Aldridge
Nehm Mock GM reaction: This is far from sufficient for Antetokounmpo. Williamson, although incredibly talented, is nothing more than a lottery ticket. In six seasons, he played 214 of the 472 possible games and appeared in just 30 games last season. Any package for antetokounmpo will have to be rich in players and in choice, and this offer is not rich enough either. In addition, if the Bucks will be part of any trade with the Pélicans, they must recover the complete rights of their first rounds in 2026 and 2027.
Giannis in Philly
Dollars get: Paul George, Jared McCain, 2025 First, 2028 First (via La Clippers), 2029 Pick Swap (via La Clippers), 2030 First
Sixers get: Giannis antetokounmpo
Why that (and would not work): Obviously, Rake Back George is a difficult proposal, but it is a commercial proposal rich in active ingredients, starting with the choice of first round in 2025, which would land in the first six if Philadelphia keeps control. McCain is a great young perspective that would immediately give Milwaukee two young players to build. The choice of first round of 2028 is not protected and ends in a year when the Clippers would no longer have Kawhi Leonard and James Harden, or both are much slower. The same goes for the 2029 selection exchange. In all, the Bucks are expected to face George, but they would immediately obtain an active premium draft, a young premium talent in McCain and two potential active ingredients for future active ingredients to accompany the choice of unprotected first round in 2030 of Philadelphia. The Bucks will not find a choice of potential draft of the top-five elsewhere. – Tony Jones
Nehm Mock GM reaction: It is insulting. Bucks will only take positive assets in any commercial conversation, and the 35 to 37 years of George for $ 162 million has no sense to acquire. A choice in the top six of this draft is nice, and McCain is a good young player, but there is simply enough in this job for the Bucks.
Giannis in Toronto
Dollars get: Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, Gradey Dick, 2027 First, 2029 First, 2031 First (All Top and Protected), 2028 Pick Swap (it’s very complicated), 2030 Pick Swap (Milwaukee obtains the second choice of dollars, blazers and raptors)
The Raptors get: Giannis antetokounmpo, Kyle Kuzma
Why that (and would not work): The president of the Raptors, Masai Ujiri, wanted antetokounmpo since before his arrival in the League. In Barnes, the Bucks obtain a defensively fundamental player and a playmaker in the style of Antetokounmpo. They also leave Kuzma and, essentially, get as many choices as raptors can give them. It may not be enough for the Bucks, but except to obtain the choice of Raptors lottery this year – and if Toronto does not win the lottery, it could be on the table – it is a transport.
The trick is that raptors should think that this makes it a competitor, while the Bucks should see a certain hope that their business partners will fight. How does a nucleus of Antetokounmpo, Brandon Ingram, Immanuel Quickley and Jakob Poeltl Sound? It would be a better future that Bucks could not offer antetokounmpo, but not a safe thing, especially with Poeltl as a non-Slip center. It may be the Sweet Spot. The Raptors would be quite thin in terms of depth, Ochai Agbaji, Ja’kobe Walter and Jamal Shead left to support them. They would need another transaction window to build their team. – Eric Koreen
Nehm Mock GM reaction: There will be no protection on the choices sent in a business for antetokounmpo. He is one of the best players on the planet in the middle of his peak under contract for the two (or three) following seasons. The New York Knicks granted four unprotected first round choices, a first-round choice protected from the first four and an unprotected first-round exchange exchange for Mikal Bridges, which has never made a All-Star match or the All-NBA team. Even if I concede that it was an overpayment, I regret to inform other managers general that they will also be too paid for antetokounmpo. The number of choices and exchanges should probably start about eight.
Barnes, Barrett and Dick are all young strong players, so I can understand that the choices are a little lighter. From the point of view of a player, this is getting closer, since Barnes has made a stars match, but it is difficult to understand how you build a team around him. The Raptors tried and looked a little disjointed.
Giannis in Houston
Dollars get: Amen Thompson, Jalen Green, Cam Whitmore, Donovan Clingan, 2025 First (via Phoenix), 2027 First (via Phoenix), 2029 First (the most favorable Milwaukee, Portland or Washington), 2028 and 2030
The rockets get: Giannis antetokounmpo, Jerami Grant
Trail Blazers obtains: Alperen şengün, Jock Landale
Why that (and would not work): I do not move antetokounmpo unless it requests it. I would expect the Bucks to look at each avenue to succeed with him in the coming months before he arrives here.
For me, Houston is the most logical team to end up with antetokounmpo if the bucks have to move it. Rockets have the most active ingredients in the league in terms of young controllable talents outside the Thunder, and they desperately need an option n ° 1. This agreement allows them to acquire antetokoun for players who, frankly, do not make much sense on their list when it comes to playing next to Antetokoun in Thompson and şengün, team commercial. They also maintain enough control over their future projects to be able to continue to build.
Bucks should have two goals in any antetokounmpo agreement: acquire as many young and expensive talents as possible and recover as much from their choices as possible. Here, in addition to the young players, they obtain a choice among the first 10 in the 2025 draft of Phoenix, another choice of first round Phoenix of great value in 2027, then obtained control of all their choices from Portland from 2028 to 2030. The part of the Blazers is because they have control of Milwaukee in the first round in 2028, 2029 and 2030. Swap, so these are not necessarily complete choices of the first round, but they are rather here as an opportunity for Milwaukee to take control of its destiny from 2028. Essentially, the Blazers obtain a center of the stars in şengün for Clingan, a choice of first round in 2029 and extinguishing these rights of exchange with 2028 and 2030. They just won’t be able to chat with Milwaukee. They also obtain the added value to leave the massive grant agreement, which is one of the worst contracts in the league. – Sam Vecenie
Nehm Mock GM reaction: I still need it in this package, but it is close enough.
Sam was right to bring the dollars back in control of their choices of the Blazers between 2028-30. I think this is one of the most precious things that Bucks can acquire in any trade in Antetokounmpo, because getting rid of one of the best players on the planet while not controlling your choices is a bad deal.
Any commercial offer of Rockets will require Thompson. In the packages I have received, there is an argument to argue that Thompson is the best asset because of his crazy defensive capacity, his super athletics, his age and his contract. But I would be curious to see if I could also acquire Tari Eason or Jabari Smith Jr.
Green is the problem of this case. There are only 23 years old, and there can always be advantages, but its contract extension starts next season, and it is not clear if this increase will be worth. After scoring 21 points per game in the regular season, he only implemented 14.8 points per match in the first five games of the Rockets series against the Golden State Warriors, and which is supported by a performance of 38 points in game 2. This extension of the contract makes it financially operating, but I am not sure that a player who volatile can compensate for such a part of the agreement for Antetokounmpo. Bucks need safer things.
(Illustration: Dan GOLDFARB / Athletics; Top photo: Stacy Revere / Getty Images)
