With the rumors swirling around Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s future in Milwaukee following the Bucks‘ third straight first-round exit and Damian Lillard‘s Achilles injury, the Toronto Raptors could pounce on the opportunity to land the next anchor of a potential title run after Kawhi Leonard in 2019.
Eric Koreen of The Athletic proposed a blockbuster trade that would land Antetokounmpo north of the border for his new chapter.
Here is Eric Koreen’s trade proposal:
Milwaukee Bucks receive: Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, Gradey Dick, 2027 first, 2029 first, 2031 first (all top-one protected), 2028 pick swap (it’s very complicated), 2030 pick swap (Milwaukee gets second choice of Bucks, Trail Blazers and Raptors)
Toronto Raptors receive: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kyle Kuzma
According to Koreen, Raptors president Masai Ujiri has long coveted Antetokounmpo even before he entered the NBA.
The Raptors may not be a glamour team like the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers or the Golden State Warriors, but Canada has more than 40 million population that can easily gravitate to Antetokounmpo and push his burgeoning business portfolio if he goes there.
Mock Trade Offer ‘Getting Closer’ From a Player Perspective
Toronto can offer Antetokounmpo a much younger and more athletic supporting cast than he currently has with the Bucks, who do not have the flexibility to re-tool the roster around him.
“How does a core of Antetokounmpo, Brandon Ingram, Immanuel Quickley and Jakob Poeltl sound? It would be a better future than the Bucks could offer Antetokounmpo, but not a sure thing, especially with Poeltl as a non-shooting center. Maybe that is the sweet spot. The Raptors would be pretty thin in terms of depth, with Ochai Agbaji, Ja’Kobe Walter and Jamal Shead left over to support them. They would need another transaction window to build out their team,” Koreen wrote.
Eric Nehm, The Athletic’s Bucks beat reporter, insisted that if this hypothetical trade is offered, there should be no protections on the draft picks. He added the number of picks in a potential Antetokounmpo should “probably start around eight” (picks and pick swaps combined).
“Barnes, Barrett and Dick are all strong young players, so I can understand the picks being a little bit on the lighter side. From a player perspective, this is getting closer, considering Barnes has made an All-Star Game, but it’s tough to figure out how you build a team around him. The Raptors have tried and looked a bit disjointed,” Nehm wrote.
‘It’s Possible’ Giannis Antetokounmpo is Done as a Buck
In the morning after the Bucks lost Lillard in Game 4, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst painted a murky future in Milwaukee.
“It’s possible that Giannis has played his last game in Milwaukee as a Buck,” Windhorst said on the April 28 episode of the “Hoop Collective” podcast. “I don’t know, but it’s also irresponsible not to contemplate that right now.”
The Bucks went on to lose Game 5 in Indiana, where they stunningly squandered a seven-point lead in the final 40 seconds of the game.
‘Wholesale Change’ in Milwaukee
Windhorst isn’t alone in speculating that Antetokounmpo could ask out of Milwaukee this summer.
Appearing on “The Dan Patrick Show” on April 23, NBA insider Chris Haynes also made the same assumption.
Asked if Antetokounmpo will finish his career in Milwaukee, Haynes gave a blunt answer.
“I don’t think so,” Haynes said. “This 2025 Playoffs for the Milwaukee Bucks, it’s gonna be pivotal. If they don’t get to the Finals, win the Finals, or even make a deep run, you can probably see some wholesale changes going on in Milwaukee.
“You can go from coaching staff and front office to the players, it can be a pretty big, significant wholesale if the Milwaukee Bucks don’t make a significant run this postseason.”
Haynes added that the Antetokounmpo era in Milwaukee might end as early as this summer.
“I could see them going in a different direction, and yeah, I can see that possibility if things go sour this postseason for sure,” Haynes said.
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