The dam might be officially breaking on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s relationship with the Milwaukee Bucks. Giannis, it appears, wants out of a middling Milwaukee franchise with a less-than-middling future.

ESPN puts it far more diplomatically than that, of course. It reports that Giannis and his agent “are having convesations with the Milwaukee Bucks about the two-time NBA MVP’s future — and discussing whether his best fit is staying or a move elsewhere, sources told ESPN on Wednesday.”

When is a trade demand not a trade demand? When you’re simply having conversations and asking questions.

The NBA trade deadline is Feb. 5.

Yes, the Detroit Pistons should be interested and should be on the phone with Milwaukee brass, gauging what a deal could look like. Of course, so should every other contending NBA team. That includes franchises like the Toronto Raptors, Miami Heat, New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks, LA Lakers, Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets, and Minnesota Timberwolves.

There would be an enormous cost to obtain the forward, who is days away from his 31st birthday. Both in dollars and in other treasure. Antetokounmpo will be eligible for a four-year $275 million extension next season. He will get that extension from whoever trades for him.

The assets required to get him would be nearly everything in the cupboard.

The is a strong contingent of NBA analysts and fans who want the Pistons to make a consolidation trade. They are very deep with very young, still flawed players who are nowhere near their potential. They also have big salary that isn’t incredibly burdensome. They are also a very good basketball team who still need that second star next to Cade Cunningham.

Cade, to make it plain, would be the only player off the table in any Giannis deal.

Ron Holland and Jaden Ivey would surely be gone. Do you love Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson? Pick one because at least one of them is going as well. Like the veteran presence of Tobias Harris? Too bad, the salaries need to match. Don’t even think about having future draft picks. They would all go to Milwaukee.

Would that be enough to beat any offer the Thunder, who own the unprotected Los Angeles Clippers pick in the upcoming draft? Would it be enough to beat an offer the Atlanta Hawks could make, who own the New Orleans Pelicans’ unprotected pick?

I don’t want to get too caught up in building an actual, hypothetical trade because it is pretty much sending everything, absorbing as much bad salary as you can (which isn’t much since you have to account for Giannis’ $54 million salary), and try and have some shooting left and one other young star as the trio.

So, in my mind, you keep Duncan Robinson if the math allows. You are taking on either Myles Turner, Kyle Kuzma or Bobby Portis to help clean up Milwaukee’s books, and you are choosing One Other Player That Matters.

Is it Duren? You’d probably want a spacing big man to give Giannis and Cade room to operate.

Is it Ausar? Is there a world where a non-shooter like Ausar, even with as good as he is defensively, can co-exist with Antetokounmpo?

Is it Holland? Is he actually ready to inherit so much responsibility?

Is it Daniss Jenkins? Just kidding … sort of.

You trade everything because Giannis is just that good, and he instantly opens a true title window for a franchise as long as there is another star left standing to play with the Greek superstar.

Giannis is third in the NBA in box score plus-minus behind Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. His true shooting percentage remains top 10 in the league (.677) despite playing on a middling offense. He still gets to the line — 165 attempts this season, which is six more than Tyrese Maxey despite playing more than 300 fewer minutes. He is and remains elite.

I don’t think any deal with the Pistons will happen. But it feels like whichever team trades for Antetokounmpo will be happy they did. For the next three years, anyway.