Giannis is reportedly open to moving teams. Again, my apologies to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and frequent diners of Perkins. When I think of Wisconsin, I think of Giannis and Perkins.
The NBA Draft Lottery is tonight. Everything is going to change. Suddenly a “2025 First Round Pick” becomes a more tangible “fourth pick,” or “12th pick,” or “first pick.” Your value is far more exact. You know if you’re probably going to miss out on your top targets, in all likelihood. And you absolutely know if you have the number one pick in the draft.
Cooper Flagg, baby. He is the number one pick, much like Wemby was and Luka should have been. Landing that first pick looks like it nets you maybe the only (very much in quotes) “guaranteed” All-Star in the draft. A player to build around. The first piece of your foundation from which to build your identity.
The Spurs already have that foundational piece in Victor Wembanyama
Let’s just, for fun, put ourselves in the world where the Spurs once again get the first overall pick in the NBA Draft Lottery tonight. They have a 6 percent shot at it. It’s not a tiny amount. They also have the Hawks pick, which has a 0.7 percent chance of landing at No. 1, which is a tiny amount. But adding it to 6 percent makes it a slightly larger amount.
But if the Spurs win the lottery again, would they choose to add Flagg to their young core, or would they see this as a chance to build around Wembanyama in the now? There were times this past year where the Spurs looked like they could hang with anyone. Wembanyama is doing things on the basketball court no one else ever has — no one else ever could. One legged pull-up 3s from 30 feet while being over 7-feet tall is absurd. But he’s doing it. Is it time to go all in now?
With Cooper Flagg as part of the offer, suddenly the Bucks trading Giannis doesn’t seem quite so bad. That’s like moving down on the pain scale from a 9.8 to a 9.4, but at least it’s something. Try some ibuprofen as well. Drink some water.
The Bucks would have their star of the future in hand, and Giannis could spend his 30s paired with another incomparable athlete in Wemby. The two of them together would be scary.
So if the lottery once again breaks the Spurs way, who knows what shape the league will take next year. I don’t think the Western Conference needs more stars, but man. That’s where they always seem to go.