4 days Ago
Would the Milwaukee Bucks really be open to moving on from two-time league MVP power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo this summer? That's a disingenuous question and a bit of writer's device. We live in the player empowerment era, where NBA superstars can dictate the terms of their own futures more than franchises — albeit with a few Luka Doncic-sized exceptions. So really, the question we should all be asking is, would Giannis Antetokounmpo really be open to moving on from the Milwaukee Bucks during the offseason? Per Brian Lewis of The New York Post , "multiple sources" suggested that the lowly Brooklyn Nets were seeking to trade the assets they've been accruing for years to acquire the nine-time All-Star.
In a new report , Lewis reveals that general manager Sean Marks recently acknowledged Brooklyn would be amenable to blowing up their asset warchest in service of bringing in a superstar. “You’ll always have those opportunities," Marks said, following the end of the Nets' 26-56 season. "Whether we do or not, when we go in, those are questions that I cannot answer.
” Brooklyn only recently had to pivot out of the superstar-accrual business, when future Hall of Famers James Harden, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant all forced trades out of town ahead of and during the 2022-23 season. Since then, the Nets have been dead-set on adding major future equity, most notably adding four unprotected first-round picks, a protected first-round pick from Milwaukee, an unprotected pick swap, and a second-round pick. More Milwaukee Bucks: Bucks Champ Thanasis Antetokounmpo Credits Surprise All-Star for Saving NBA Career “If you’re going after max-level talent, they have [to] automatically and absolutely change the trajectory of your team," Marks continued.
"This can’t be like ‘Let’s go get this [guy] and lock ourselves into being a six or seven seed.’ When we go all in, you’re going in to compete at the highest level and contend.” Based on that language, Lewis for one interprets that Antetokounmpo is the primary trade target for Marks, with several more unidimensional All-Stars all potentially attainable this offseason.
"Otherwise, the Nets are keeping their powder dry...
There are a host of players like Trae Young, LaMelo Ball, Ja Morant or Domantas Sabonis that could get moved. But changing the team’s trajectory sounds like Giannis Antetokounmpo or bust. Or more accurately Antetokounmpo or tank.
" More Milwaukee Bucks: Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo Joins Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar In Historic Feat Bringing in Antetokounmpo would cost Brooklyn a lot of its draft equity, and probably some promising young pieces, too. Antetokounmpo, 30, is in the midst of a remarkable individual season, although he's trapped on a 48-34 Bucks squad that seems doomed to die a quick death with nine-time All-Star point guard Damian Lillard out indefinitely due to a blood clot. Across 67 regular season contests, Antetokounmpo posted averages of 30.
4 points, 11.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.
2 blocks and 0.9 steals a night. It marked his third straight season of notching averages of at least 30 points and 11 rebounds.
He also notched averages of 30 or more points, 10 or more rebounds, and five or more assists for the third time in his career this year, now lapping former Bucks champion Oscar Robertson and Hall of Fame center Wilt Chamberlain for a new NBA record. This weekend, Milwaukee will square off against the 50-32 Indiana Pacers in the first round of the playoffs for the second straight season. The Bucks' playoff fate could determine Antetokounmpo's willingness to be moved.
He hasn't gotten out of even the first round since 2022, and is performing so well that his frustrations with Milwaukee's team building could boil over at some point. More Milwaukee Bucks: Bucks Star Giannis Antetokounmpo Supplies Odd Playoff Advice Wild Trade Proposal Has Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo Landing With Warriors How Bobby Portis Can Replace Damian Lillard in Bucks Lineup Nuggets’ Michael Malone Firing Has Instant Impact on Doc Rivers’ Bucks Future For more news and notes on the Milwaukee Bucks, visit Milwaukee Bucks on SI ..
