The Milwaukee Bucks have gotten off to a hot start in 2025-26, defeating the Washington Wizards and Toronto Raptors in two of their first three games.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has been magnificent through three games, averaging 36 points per game along with 16 rebounds and seven assists.
He’s also shooting the lights out, with a 68.% field goal percentage and 66.7% from three-point range.
And yet, despite his gaudy numbers and a winning record in Milwaukee, all that’s on basketball fans’ minds is when Giannis will wind up leaving the Bucks.
Thanks to his late summer interest in joining the New York Knicks, Antetokounmpo has been speculated to be on his way out of Milwaukee and eyeing other destinations.
Three-Team Trade Proposal Sends Giannis to Golden State, Jimmy Butler to Detroit
In a trade idea first proposed by Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley, the Milwaukee Bucks would ship Antetokounmpo to the Golden State Warriors, the Warriors would send Jimmy Butler to the Detroit Pistons, and the Bucks would receive a haul of picks and players.
Golden State Warriors get: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Detroit Pistons get: Jimmy Butler, 2030 second-round pick (from GSW)
Milwaukee Bucks get: Jaden Ivey, Brandin Podziemski, Isaiah Stewart, Tobias Harris, 2026 first-round pick (from GSW), 2027 first-round pick swap (from GSW), 2028 first-round pick (from GSW), 2031 first-round pick swap (from GSW), 2032 first-round pick (from GSW)
In this deal, the Eastern Conference gets a little less tough with the subtraction of the Greek Freak.
“The Bucks are only ever trading Antetokounmpo if he demands it. And while they’ve continued to exhaust their resources in hopes of that never happening, he feels as close to the exits as ever,” wrote Buckley.
“Were the Bucks ever to get backed into that exact corner, this trade package wouldn’t be their worst way out. Three first-round picks and two first-round swaps is a haul, particularly from a team built around a 37-year-old (Curry), a 35-year-old (Draymond Green) and a 30-year-old (Antetokounmpo).”
Milwaukee gets a massive haul for their two-time MVP, landing foundational players in Jaden Ivey, Brandin Podziemski, and Isaiah Stewart.
All three players have intriguing upside and could blossom into their own with the Bucks.
While they would take a step back, a true rebuild would be underway in Milwaukee, armed with a treasure trove of draft capital and up-and-coming players.
Why the Warriors Would Be Hard-Pressed to Pass on the Deal
For the Golden State Warriors, the deal is a no-brainer.
Butler has been a great player for them over his short stint in the Bay Area, but the opportunity to swap him out for a player of Antetokounmpo’s caliber is too good to pass up.
It creates a new championship window for the Warriors, one that extends past Steph Curry’s eventual retirement.
“Antetokounmpo’s fit with Curry in the Warriors’ offense wouldn’t be quite as seamless as Kevin Durant’s once was, but the partnership could prove just as potent,” continued Buckley.
“Golden State could funnel more of its on-ball reps to Giannis, while keeping Curry as threatening as ever with off-ball screens and his endless energy.”
The Warriors instantly become a contender in the Western Conference with a trio of Curry, Antetokounmpo, and Draymond Green.
Why the Pistons Make the Deal
In a weakened Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons have the opportunity to go all in.
While Cade Cunningham has come into his own as a superstar in the making, Detroit is severely lacking in scoring options outside of their former No. 1 overall pick.
Landing Butler remedies that, and it may be worth their while to cut ties with up-and-comers such as Ivey and Stewart to make it happen.
“The trade-off would be that Butler is older, a bit more ball-dominant and less reliable as an outside shooter than the ideal Cunningham co-star, but again, that imperfection is essentially baked into that price,” concluded Buckley.
“So long as the Pistons had any sort of viable spacing around them, these instinctive creators could make it work alongside one another.”
While the Pistons lose some key depth pieces, they certainly become a better overall team and mark themselves as a threat in the East with the pairing of Cunningham and Butler.
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This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
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