NBA rumors: Giannis involvement in Dame trade, Jrue return for Blazers, Lakers get another bargain

Giannis Antetokounmpo did not have a chance to hear trade before the world did

With such a massive trade, one has to wonder how much the Milwaukee Bucks involved their star centerpiece, Giannis Antetokoumpo, in discussions. Giannis and Dame did discuss teaming up years ago, but neither player wanted to leave their team then.

So one might think Antetokounmpo, once Lillard became available, was a thought leader in the organization pushing them to get a deal done. Evidently, not so much. Adrian Wojnarowski reported on NBA Today that Antetokounmpo, "literally played no role."

Woj adds that Bucks general manager Jon Horst didn't bring the trade to his star player for a final sign-off, because Antetokounmpo is close with Holiday, and feared Giannis may feel the weight of the decision on his conscience.

In the end, Horst did his job and made the decision for the organization regardless of how his star might felt. He simply made the trade he felt would set the team up best to win another title.