Once Giannis Antetokounmpo became a megastar, the Milwaukee Bucks did everything possible to win a championship, trades to acquire players like Eric Bledsoe, Jrue Holiday, and Damian Lillard. One of those helped get them a championship in 2021. However, Lillard's Achilles injury makes a championship run for the 2025-26 season seem impossible.
Antetokounmpo has said he's "open" to switching teams after being a Buck for the first 12 seasons of his career. Given their history, Milwaukee has never prepared for a life without Antetokounmpo, until now.
According to Gery Woelfel, "the Bucks are taking steps in the event Giannis Antetokounmpo moves on..." including working out top draft picks, despite not having a first round pick.
This could mean that they are looking to trade other assets to select higher in the draft, but signs point to one of the biggest trades in NBA history.
What are the Bucks and Giannis' best options?
If the Bucks are looking to get a lottery pick in this year's draft, there are two teams that have lottery picks that also make sense for an Antetokounmpo trade. The San Antonio Spurs select at No. 2 and 14, and the Houston Rockets select at at No. 10 via the Phoenix Suns.
If they made the trade, San Antonio would have two of the four best European players in the game, pairing Victory Wembanyama and Antetokounmpo. Their tradable assets — the most valuable being the second pick — would give the Bucks cap flexibility and a player to build around. Antetokounmpo would have a 21-year-old megastar as a No. 2 option, making the Spurs a contender for the rest of his career.
Houston has better player pieces than San Antonio. Jalen Green is inconsistent but just turned 23 years old with huge upside potential. Other pieces like Amen Thompson or Jabari Smith Jr. are enticing. Milwaukee is no stranger to finding a diamond in the rough with a pick that's not a top five pick and even outside the lottery.
Both those options would benefit Antetokounmpo in forming a contender, and the Bucks in trying to rebuild. There is one more destination that's enticing for both parties, depending on if Milwaukee is persuaded to consider it. The New York Knicks.
Nobody expected the Knicks to make a conference finals run, let alone a finals run, and yet they're in the conference finals. Regardless of the outcome of these playoffs, they would want Antetokounmpo, and he should want to play for them. With a fourth straight defending champ being bounced in the second-round, championship caliber teams must retool to have a chance.
New York would want to keep at minimum Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns. Keeping Josh Hart would also be beneficial. The likely scenario is swapping Towns and a haul of picks for Antetokounmpo. Milwaukee could stay competitive with a duo of Towns and Lillard and the Knicks could form one of the most dynamic duos with Brunson and Antetokounmpo.