On Monday, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the Milwaukee Bucks are seeking trade offers for star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. The on-again, off-again trade cycle that has loomed over the NBA for the past year may mercifully be coming to an end.
Contract Situation and Timeline
Antetokounmpo will be eligible for a contract extension in October. Bucks owner Wes Edens has said that the team will either extend him or trade him, and fellow owner Jimmy Haslam has set the NBA Draft as the preferred timeline for resolution.
If Antetokounmpo does not signal a willingness to extend in the coming weeks, the time for a trade has likely arrived. The draft order is set. The whole league is gathered in Chicago for the NBA Draft Combine.
What the Bucks Are Looking For
Four factors stand out in a possible trade partner:
1. Championship contention capability: A team reasonably capable of competing for the 2027 championship. Antetokounmpo is 31 and suddenly somewhat injury-prone. This is not a long-term project.
2. Eastern Conference preference: Ideally, a team in the Eastern Conference. The Athletic's Sam Amick has reported that Antetokounmpo's preference is believed to be remaining in the East.
3. Return package: A trade partner who can send the Bucks a top young player, a multitude of draft picks, or a present-day star in his prime. Ideally, the Bucks would get all three.
4. Extension assurance: Somewhere Antetokounmpo is willing to extend. Nobody is trading all it will take to get this thing done without assurances that he would be willing to stay there.
Trade Partner Candidates
There are 30 teams in the NBA. One of them is the Bucks. The other 29 would probably like to trade for Giannis. Here are some teams ranked by likelihood:
Unlikely Fits
New Orleans Pelicans (30th): They're further East than Sacramento. Zion Williamson wouldn't be the worst consolation star for the Bucks. They have nothing to trade - they control none of their own first-round picks until 2033.
Memphis Grizzlies (28th): It was a fun concept when they had Jaren Jackson Jr. Now, the Grizzlies are full steam ahead into a rebuild. They're years away from appealing to a veteran star.
Chicago Bulls (27th): The Bulls are at square one. Antetokounmpo isn't looking for a square one roster.
Potential Fits
San Antonio Spurs (24th): One of the few teams that falls into the "feasibly could, probably won't" category. The Spurs have the assets. Antetokounmpo would probably sign off on playing for them even in the West if winning is his true goal.
Oklahoma City Thunder (23rd): The same logic applies for the Thunder as the Spurs, with the caveat that if the Thunder lose to the Spurs, either now or later, it is feasible that they do something drastic specifically to prepare for future Wembanyama matchups.