After agreeing to buy out the remainder of Damian Lillard’s contract so they could sign Myles Turner to a four-year, $108.9 million deal, the odds of the Milwaukee Bucks trading Giannis Antetokounmpo took a significant hit. But the dream may not be done for some.
According to ESPN’s NBA expert Brian Windhorst, Antetokounmpo’s recent comments, where he said, “We’ll see” in response to whether he’d ever leave Milwaukee, were taken as a signal that the Bucks’ two-time NBA MVP may be available via trade.
Now, as Windhorst reports, “five or six teams” could be banking on Antetokounmpo being open to playing for a new organization for the first time in is NBA career.
“The thing about it is, is he didn’t give a definitive answer. And I’m certainly not going to analyze something he said seaside in Greece but what I will say is the ‘we’ll see,’ that is essentially what there’s about five or six NBA teams banking on, the ‘we’ll see.’ And I know it sounds trivial but for years Giannis was completely locked in. Him saying ‘we’ll see’ backs up what Shams has been saying this entire summer, which is that he might be more open-minded than he was in the past. And I would say the same thing, ‘Probably Milwaukee, but we’ll see.’ And now I can quote Giannis on that, thank you very much.”
If Antetokounmpo truly is open to changing teams, there will be a long line, probably more than six teams, lining up for his services. Yet, any such trade wouldn’t come cheaply, and there are only a handful of teams that could even present close to fair value for one of the best players in the game today.
Yet, for now, Antetokounmpo appears locked in with the Bucks. Unless, there’s a part of him that isn’t bought into their new direction with Turner replacing Lillard (who was set to miss the season with his Achilles recovery), teams may have to find another star to swoon over.
Related: ‘Realistic’ Giannis Antetokounmpo trade idea sends NBA MVP to San Antonio Spurs
Sports fan since birth. I am also passionate about cars, music, and anything funny. Minnesotan, born and raised. Maybe ... More about Andrew Buller-Russ