3 teams who should be prepping trade offers for Giannis Antetokounmpo

Giannis Antetokounmpo raised alarm bells around the Milwaukee Bucks last week in an illuminating interview with the New York Times. While he didn't hint at any immediate desire to leave the Bucks, he did put pressure on the front office to continue winning. In so many words, he said if the Bucks ever consider a rebuild, he will leave.

That's a firm statement from Giannis, who has long been exceptionally loyal to the Bucks franchise since his arrival in 2013. There's no reason to believe that has changed — Antetokounmpo's preference here is that the Bucks simply contend for the next decade — but it's clear Giannis is no longer bound, heart and soul, to Milwaukee regardless of the circumstances.

We have seen superstars leave small markets for supposedly greener pastures for all of NBA history. The Bucks were the No. 1 seed last season, but a loss to the No. 8 seed Heat in the first round raised a great many questions about the direction of the franchise. Mike Budenholzer, a personal favorite of Giannis, was fired for former Raptors assistant coach Adrian Griffin. Maybe those two click and it's all smooth sailing, but there's always an outside chance that a coaching change brings about unintended consequences.

Giannis is a two-time MVP and arguably the best player on the face of the planet. If he does request a trade, or hint at a desire to leave the Bucks in free agency, teams will line up around the block to make their best pitch. He can hit the open market in 2026, if he so chooses.

Antetokounmpo is the rare superstar where no team should think twice about at least picking up the phone. That said, these teams in particular should be circling like vultures.

3. New Orleans Pelicans should prep trade offer for Giannis Antetokounmpo

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Zion Williamson? Yes please. The Pelicans have the draft capital and young talent to tempt a hypothetically rebuilding Bucks team. New Orleans also has the peronnel to immediately win a bunch of games with Giannis on the roster.

Now, the Giannis and Zion fit is wonky at first glance. Both are traditionally thought of as power forwards who score in much the same way: blunt-force drives to the rim. Giannis has attempted to stretch his game to the 3-point line, with mixed results. But his bread and butter is scoring in the paint. Zion will only score in the paint, where he's probably the best finisher in the world.

One potential solution is to start "small" with Giannis at the five. That duo doesn't really qualify as small given the strength factor (plus Giannis is a 7-footer), but Giannis has spent the bulk of his career next to Brook Lopez and the like. It would be a shift in priorities on defense. On offense, however, teams would be collapsing on the paint every possession in a vain attempt to hold the Pelicans down. That would lead to a hearty 3-point barrage from Brandon Ingram, Trey Murphy III, and others.

Giannis and Zion would absolutely thrive together. The fast breaks, the snug pick-and-rolls, the constant drive-and-kicks. The Pelicans would have very little trouble making two of the league's best offensive engines work in unison, no matter how unique the concepts behind it are.

The Pelicans have a treasure trove of draft picks and young players to offer up. Giannis would require a massive trade package, even in the shifting market of the new CBA, but the Pelicans are better equipped than most teams to make the Bucks think.