With the Milwaukee Bucks officially eliminated from the playoffs, all signs point to Giannis Antetokounmpo being available for trade. There will be a historic bidding war for the two-time MVP this summer. One team that has emerged as a potential suitor for Giannis is the San Antonio Spurs. The possible duo of Giannis and Victor Wembanyama should terrify the NBA.
Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report proposed a trade offer that could see the Spurs land Giannis. In Buckley's mock trade, the Spurs gave up 2024-25 Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle, Jeremy Sochan, Keldon Johnson, and four first-round picks. Let's explore if this trade is a significant possibility.
Trading for Giannis is a no-brainer for the Spurs
It's obvious why the Spurs do this deal. They would have two of the league's top 10 players and most dominant two-way frontcourt stars. Giannis and Wemby would form an elite defensive duo and an unstoppable offensive pairing, especially considering Wemby's floor spacing. It's rare to have the opportunity to have two players this elite on the same team. The Spurs should jump on this chance and accelerate the timeline around Wemby. They've already shown a willingness to do so by trading for De'Aaron Fox at the deadline.
While trading Stephon Castle, who showed tremendous two-way value and star upside, might be a tough pill to swallow, that's the price you have to pay to land a superstar like Giannis. Additionally, the Spurs have eight future first-round picks between 2025 and 2031, including two this year, making some of their future picks expendable. Retaining Devin Vassell is also a win for the Spurs. Ultimately, this move would make the Spurs a true contender for the next decade, and it's worth the price.
The Bucks land some much needed young talent and assets
The Bucks are devoid of young talent and assets. Notably, they only have four players under 25 on their roster, none of whom are former first-round picks or have shown a ton of upside. Moreover, they don't control their first-round pick until 2031. Consequently, they must prioritize landing young talent and future picks in any Giannis trade.
This offer from the Spurs gives Milwaukee a legitimate young core headlined by Castle, who has star-level upside. Sochan projects to be a quintessential glue guy while Johnson is a microwave bench scorer. The picks could be valuable to Milwaukee, especially if they get a lottery pick in this year's draft or the Hawks' pick in 2027.
All things considered, this might be one of the best offers the Bucks get. However, they might prefer an offer with more solidified talent, such as Alperen Şengün from the Houston Rockets. Regardless, Castle, Sochan, and Johnson, paired with upgrades around the edges, would allow the Bucks to be competitive enough in the East to avoid a complete rebuild while having none of their picks. Ultimately, the Bucks would absolutely consider an offer like this from the Spurs, but it wouldn't necessarily be the best they can get.