Trade rumors have been swirling around the Milwaukee Bucks in recent weeks regarding superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, which has only continued after the star's latest injury. The Bucks, meanwhile, have freefallen down the standings in the Eastern Conference, with their chances of making the playoffs looking dubious at best.
Recently, Tim Bontemps of ESPN took to the Hoop Collective podcast to outline how losing might be in the Bucks' best interest this season, even as it pertains to their chances of convincing Antetokounmpo to stick around long-term.
“If you want to construct a path to have the Bucks being able to convince Giannis that this is a place he can win long term, here is what it is. He basically is out the rest of the season. They are already, as you said eighth in the lottery standings, they can fall pretty quick, pretty far in those lottery standings with the roster they have. They have a real shot I think to be in or around the top five in the draft,” said Bontemps.
Here, the Bucks would be tanking in the hopes of securing a star-level talent in the 2026 NBA Draft, of which there seem to be many, and then pairing that player on a cheap contract with Antetokounmpo next season.
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The problem is that the Bucks don't have control of their first-round pick in 2026, but they will select the lesser of either their pick or the New Orleans Pelicans', meaning it still has a good chance of being highly valuable.
At this point, any chance of the Bucks making a win-now move at the trade deadline seems to be off the table, but the “tanking for a new star” angle is an interesting one, and it would be interesting to see how that would land with Antetokounmpo.
In any case, the Bucks will next take the floor on Tuesday evening vs the Philadelphia 76ers.