If the Milwaukee Bucks shop Giannis Antetokounmpo, every team is expected to at least consider an offer.
After losing in the first round of the playoffs for the third season in a row, the Milwaukee Bucks are expected to trade, or at least explore trading, Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Greek Freak has long made it clear that he wants to win another title more than anything, and the Bucks are simply past their window.Â
A player of Antetokounmpo’s ilk is not often on the trade market, and teams would readily break the bank for him. He is a franchise-altering talent who would immediately be the best player on any team aside from the Denver Nuggets, and 29 teams are expected to be interested in his services.
The Atlanta Hawks seem to be in the middle of a youth movement, although they do have the means to add Antetokounmpo, provided they are willing to make massive sacrifices.Â
Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty ImagesMock trade sends Giannis Antetokounmpo to Atlanta
Trae Young dragged the Hawks kicking and screaming to the Conference Finals in 2021, where they fell to the Bucks in six games. Since then, they haven’t even gotten close to the same amount of success.
Young has never shared the floor with another All-Star player, and a pick-and-roll combo of him and the Greek Freak would be one of the best in the league.
Provided that the Hawks can keep at least one of their solid young players, then a deal for Giannis seems like a no-brainer, even if it would deplete any remaining draft capital the Hawks have.
Full mock trade details
Hawks receive: Giannis AntetokounmpoBucks receive: Terance Mann, Okyeka Okongwu, Jalen Johnson (or Zaccharie Risacher), 2025 first-round pick (via SAC), 2025 first-round pick (via LAL), 2029 first-round pick, 2031 pick swap
Johnson is one of the centerpieces of the Hawks’ moving forward, although he will never be a two-time MVP. Of course, the Bucks may value first-overall pick Zaccharie Risacher more, although his shooting potential would fit in better next to Giannis.
Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty ImagesWhy the trade works for Atlanta and Milwaukee
The Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs are the frontrunners to land the Greek Freak, although neither of them would willingly give up a player as good as Johnson, who averaged 18.9 points at only 23 years old.
While Houston and the Spurs have equal draft picks to trade, adding Johnson and Okongwu with two picks in this year’s draft would allow the Bucks to begin their rebuild right away.
With a torn Achilles, it’s hard to imagine Damian Lillard fetching much value, although a team desperate for a point guard like the Orlando Magic or Phoenix Suns might be able to make a deal work, although the return wouldn’t be that big. In theory, the Bucks could flip Lillard to Phoenix for Bradley Beal and a heavily-protected pick, although that might delay their rebuild.
The Hawks, meanwhile, open their first true title window since the Vietnam War, making this an easy trade for them despite all of their outgoing assets.