Giannis Antetokounmpo Officially, Finally Wants Out
The Milwaukee Bucks have languished this season, and Giannis Antetokounmpo's injury woes have not remotely helped. They were just passed by the historically awful Charlotte Hornets for 11th in the East, and the Play-In Tournament feels like only a distinct possibility at this point.
Every year, there are questions around the Bucks and Antetokounmpo, especially as it pertains to his future there and if he'll be traded. Every season, these rumors arise, but nothing happens. The two-time MVP usually reiterates his commitment to the team and does not request a trade.
Those days are over. Finally, Antetokounmpo wants to put an end to this song and dance. The power forward wants to move on. The Bucks, according to multiple reports, are listening to offers and very well could finally make a trade.
Milwaukee Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo headed for split
The Bucks have watched their postseason chances fade with Giannis Antetokounmpo on the sideline. He is not expected to be back for a while, and with the Bucks an ice-cold 3-12 in games he does not play, the outlook isn't going to improve any time soon. He's still likely to miss another month.
Last summer, the Bucks and New York Knicks very briefly engaged in talks over Antetokounmpo, but reports indicate they were never seriously considering moving Antetokounmpo. Now, they are. The former MVP said he'd only like to play for New York otherwise, but the expectation is that he'll now be much more open to anything.
Aside from the Trae Young trade, which was not as much of a blockbuster as it should've been, the NBA world has been silent as it pertains to trades. With Antetokounmpo joining the fray, there are now several legitimate superstars, including Anthony Davis and Ja Morant, who are potentially available.
What is the market for the Bucks star?
As we learned with Trae Young, a player's skill is not necessarily equal to their trade value. Young went for pennies on the dollar because he's a bad defender, extremely expensive, and his best skills are better suited for an era of the NBA that's slowly fading out.
That's not the case with Antetokounmpo, but his market might not be as hot as one might expect. It is rare for a future Hall of Fame player still very much in his prime to become available, and whatever team trades for him will pay an exorbitant price, it just might not be as much as expected. And there might not be as much interest as expected.
Those with the most to offer
ESPN's Bobby Marks noted that Oklahoma City, Brooklyn, Charlotte, Memphis, Sacramento, Utah, and Washington have the most first-round picks to offer. Those teams own 50% of the tradeable first-round picks in the next seven years. As a result, they figure to have the best packages for Antetokounmpo.
Among them, none of them seems poised to make this move. Utah and Washington are trying to build, so why would they dip into the reserves? Charlotte is on the come-up, so why would they risk their growth for a short-term window? Brooklyn is a wild card, but based on their last draft, they want to keep and use their picks.
The Kings are in a tough spot, but adding Giannis Antetokounmpo to Domantas Sabonis and others doesn't make them a championship team. The Grizzlies are the same way, and they're even considering tearing it down.
Oklahoma City makes the most sense. However, they know they are basically in an endless championship window with all their picks. Why risk that to add Antetokounmpo when they don't really need him to win?
None of those teams with the most to offer will be in on Antetokounmpo. That makes it harder to predict who will get involved. But whoever it is won't be paying what those teams could, so it could be a slightly underwhelming deal.
