Around The NBA : 2024-25 Season

[HomoSapien]

Just a reminder that DeMarcus Cousins said earlier this season that Giannis would often joke about wanting to play for the Bulls, but that his jokes would often come from a place of truth. Everyone will offer crazy packages. We could offer lots of expiring contracts and all our draft capital.

[WesPeace]

So Dame achilles tear. Gonna miss most of next year and be a 35 year old making $55 mil coming off a torn achilles. $58 mil player option the year after. Bucks are stuck with that until 2027. Bucks will lose this series in 5 also.

Surely, Giannis will demand a trade this offseason, right? Think he has to if he wants a chance to win.

I never thought the Bucks should've traded for him and didn't understand why he was hot commodity at his age (while already showing that his health might not hold up).

I know you could argue that it helped get Giannis to sign a contract extension, but couldn't they try to convince him that they'd be better off with Jrue, Grayson and draft picks? I know none of those players are the star that Dame is, but Giannis already won a championship with them.

Do you think he asks out this off season? Or waits another year? Or doesn't ask at all?

Yep, that trade never made sense to me.. and it got worse every season.

[WesPeace]

Who else thinks JJ Redick is to blame for LAL loss yesterday? He played the same 5 guys entire second half.. LeBron played 46min, Luka 45min?!
Dumb dumb.. LeBron played some great D in last Q, I think he had 2 blocks, 2 steals, but at the end the Minnesota took advantage of smart rotations, fresher legs and fresher mind.

[Dan Z]

Just a reminder that DeMarcus Cousins said earlier this season that Giannis would often joke about wanting to play for the Bulls, but that his jokes would often come from a place of truth. Everyone will offer crazy packages. We could offer lots of expiring contracts and all our draft capital.

Are you thinking of the Bulls offering something like this?

Lonzo (team option after next year)
Vucevic (expiring after next year)
#12 pick in the 2025 draft
2026 pick swap
2027 pick
2028 pick swap
2029 pick
2030 swap
2031 pick
Portland pick

One problem with that, from Milwaukee's perspective, is that the Bulls team with Giannis will probably be good. That means there's a good chance those picks won't be great. If they trade Giannis and the best they get is #12 in 2025 then that's a bad deal.

EDIT: I'd like to add that this is one reason why it's even more frustrating that AK doesn't value picks. He never does anything to acquire future assets (okay...he did it once...the Markkanen trade and with that one he agreed to an odd set of protections).

[DASMACKDOWN]

Would be shocked if Giannis doesn't ask out.

Will be interesting to see how that plays out.

Rotten luck for Dame lately. Hope he recovers fine, but at his age, his days of being an all-nba caliber guard might be over.

But Giannis is the reason why the Bucks are where they are at.

Giannis has played like he isnt a part of the big changes that have been made. Coach Bud, Griff all were under the approval of Giannis. Hiring and firing.

He basically made the Bucks make brash decisions like trading for Dame while giving up Jrue. All signed off by him.

So this is his mess.

[Chi town]

Would be shocked if Giannis doesn't ask out.

Will be interesting to see how that plays out.

Rotten luck for Dame lately. Hope he recovers fine, but at his age, his days of being an all-nba caliber guard might be over.

But Giannis is the reason why the Bucks are where they are at.

Giannis has played like he isnt a part of the big changes that have been made. Coach Bud, Griff all were under the approval of Giannis. Hiring and firing.

He basically made the Bucks make brash decisions like trading for Dame while giving up Jrue. All signed off by him.

So this is his mess.

Def his mess and now he will bounce.

Don’t know how MIL trades him without getting their picks back. For the reason stated above… he will improve his new team and their picks will suck.

OKC and UTH have a bunch of picks but they all suck.

I think Giannis will have to go to a team with a heavy player package or Pels with their picks back.

HOU seems like the best fit.
Amen, Reed, Cam, Jabari.

[sco]

Would be shocked if Giannis doesn't ask out.

Will be interesting to see how that plays out.

Rotten luck for Dame lately. Hope he recovers fine, but at his age, his days of being an all-nba caliber guard might be over.

But Giannis is the reason why the Bucks are where they are at.

Giannis has played like he isnt a part of the big changes that have been made. Coach Bud, Griff all were under the approval of Giannis. Hiring and firing.

He basically made the Bucks make brash decisions like trading for Dame while giving up Jrue. All signed off by him.

So this is his mess.

Def his mess and now he will bounce.

Don’t know how MIL trades him without getting their picks back. For the reason stated above… he will improve his new team and their picks will suck.

OKC and UTH have a bunch of picks but they all suck.

I think Giannis will have to go to a team with a heavy player package or Pels with their picks back.

HOU seems like the best fit.
Amen, Reed, Cam, Jabari.

I know Giannis says he needs a 2nd championship, but he is a lifetime hero in MIL and he really has nothing else to prove and might be fine just keeping the franchise afloat while Dame recovers. IMO guys who have been with just one franchise tend to have more loyalty.

If he does force a move, a lot of teams would come into play. IF OKC fall short, they have a ton of currency. Mem could decide to deal JJJ. NYK could try a deal centered around bridges. DEN might be interested, but I'm not sure what they'd do. SAS could try to recreate the Admiral/Duncan pairing. HOU, IND (Turner centric S&T), ATL, I like the Zion angle for NO. I'm not sure MIL would want to tank given their pick limitations, but we certainly have assets to play in that trade, if not for Giannis, then as a 3rd team contributing picks/expirings. I'd be all over trying to get Turner or Bridges.

[jnrjr79]

Just a reminder that DeMarcus Cousins said earlier this season that Giannis would often joke about wanting to play for the Bulls, but that his jokes would often come from a place of truth. Everyone will offer crazy packages. We could offer lots of expiring contracts and all our draft capital.

IMO, the type of package the Bulls can put together is the type of package Milwaukee should want. They've really got no choice but to rebuild, so salary relief & draft capital seems like what they need. I'm sure they'll push hard for Matas, though.

[jnrjr79]

Just a reminder that DeMarcus Cousins said earlier this season that Giannis would often joke about wanting to play for the Bulls, but that his jokes would often come from a place of truth. Everyone will offer crazy packages. We could offer lots of expiring contracts and all our draft capital.

Are you thinking of the Bulls offering something like this?

Lonzo (team option after next year)
Vucevic (expiring after next year)
#12 pick in the 2025 draft
2026 pick swap
2027 pick
2028 pick swap
2029 pick
2030 swap
2031 pick
Portland pick

One problem with that, from Milwaukee's perspective, is that the Bulls team with Giannis will probably be good. That means there's a good chance those picks won't be great. If they trade Giannis and the best they get is #12 in 2025 then that's a bad deal.

EDIT: I'd like to add that this is one reason why it's even more frustrating that AK doesn't value picks. He never does anything to acquire future assets (okay...he did it once...the Markkanen trade and with that one he agreed to an odd set of protections).

That seems like the max possible offer the Bulls could put together that doesn't include Matas.

Giannis is only under contract of 2 more seasons, so going that far out into the future sure is dicey.

[kodo]

Are you thinking of the Bulls offering something like this?

Lonzo (team option after next year)
Vucevic (expiring after next year)
#12 pick in the 2025 draft
2026 pick swap
2027 pick
2028 pick swap
2029 pick
2030 swap
2031 pick
Portland pick

One problem with that, from Milwaukee's perspective, is that the Bulls team with Giannis will probably be good. That means there's a good chance those picks won't be great. If they trade Giannis and the best they get is #12 in 2025 then that's a bad deal.

EDIT: I'd like to add that this is one reason why it's even more frustrating that AK doesn't value picks. He never does anything to acquire future assets (okay...he did it once...the Markkanen trade and with that one he agreed to an odd set of protections).

#12 is probably the best they'll get, superstar trades normally get a bunch of mid to low picks.
The Paul George trade was probably the biggest heist in recent memory and the best pick was #12. The only pick conveyed so far from the Durant trade was #21, #9 will convey this year. Jimmy Butler only got Miami one 1st round pick, #20.

Teams with a good chance of getting top picks like Washington or Charlotte aren't going to be trading for Giannis, the picks are more valuable.

[boozapalooza]

Just a reminder that DeMarcus Cousins said earlier this season that Giannis would often joke about wanting to play for the Bulls, but that his jokes would often come from a place of truth. Everyone will offer crazy packages. We could offer lots of expiring contracts and all our draft capital.

Are you thinking of the Bulls offering something like this?

Lonzo (team option after next year)
Vucevic (expiring after next year)
#12 pick in the 2025 draft
2026 pick swap
2027 pick
2028 pick swap
2029 pick
2030 swap
2031 pick
Portland pick

One problem with that, from Milwaukee's perspective, is that the Bulls team with Giannis will probably be good. That means there's a good chance those picks won't be great. If they trade Giannis and the best they get is #12 in 2025 then that's a bad deal.

EDIT: I'd like to add that this is one reason why it's even more frustrating that AK doesn't value picks. He never does anything to acquire future assets (okay...he did it once...the Markkanen trade and with that one he agreed to an odd set of protections).

I do think trading Giannis within the division will require a premium for the Bucks, compared to other teams.

Likely means, Matas has to be on the table in a Giannis trade.

Would we do it? As much as I love Matas, the answer is yes absolutely, no cost is too much to acquire a player of Giannis’ caliber. I think Matas has to be a demand for Milwaukee in order to trade Giannis to a division rival. Giannis is one of the 3-5 guys I’d include Matas in a deal for, and should be tantalizing enough to get Milwaukee to move him.

Giannis for Matas, Vuc, some combo of Huerter/Pat/Ayo, and 3-4 1st round picks. Works in trade machine. Would gladly swap Collins for Vuc in there if possible also.

Coby
Giddey
Huerter
Giannis
Collins

That may be a title contender, at the very least its a perennial top 6 playoff team. Bulls are back. Lets ride.

FWIW, if hes able to force it, Giannis has expressed a strong desire to play in Chicago

[jnrjr79]

Just a reminder that DeMarcus Cousins said earlier this season that Giannis would often joke about wanting to play for the Bulls, but that his jokes would often come from a place of truth. Everyone will offer crazy packages. We could offer lots of expiring contracts and all our draft capital.

Are you thinking of the Bulls offering something like this?

Lonzo (team option after next year)
Vucevic (expiring after next year)
#12 pick in the 2025 draft
2026 pick swap
2027 pick
2028 pick swap
2029 pick
2030 swap
2031 pick
Portland pick

One problem with that, from Milwaukee's perspective, is that the Bulls team with Giannis will probably be good. That means there's a good chance those picks won't be great. If they trade Giannis and the best they get is #12 in 2025 then that's a bad deal.

EDIT: I'd like to add that this is one reason why it's even more frustrating that AK doesn't value picks. He never does anything to acquire future assets (okay...he did it once...the Markkanen trade and with that one he agreed to an odd set of protections).

I do think trading Giannis within the division will require a premium for the Bucks, compared to other teams.

Likely means, Matas has to be on the table in a Giannis trade.

Would we do it? As much as I love Matas, the answer is yes absolutely, no cost is too much to acquire a player of Giannis’ caliber. I think Matas has to be a demand for Milwaukee in order to trade Giannis to a division rival. Giannis is one of the 3-5 guys I’d include Matas in a deal for, and should be tantalizing enough to get Milwaukee to move him.

Giannis for Matas, Vuc, some combo of Huerter/Pat/Ayo, and 3-4 1st round picks. Works in trade machine. Would gladly swap Collins for Vuc in there if possible also.

Coby
Giddey
Huerter
Giannis
Collins

That may be a title contender, at the very least its a perennial top 6 playoff team. Bulls are back. Lets ride.

FWIW, if hes able to force it, Giannis has expressed a strong desire to play in Chicago

I don't know how much teams even care about divisions (as opposed to conferences) generally, but if the Bucks are embarking on a multi-year tank, I don't think they'll care at all about what division Giannis goes to.

But I imagine Matas is probably in the deal regardless, just because other teams will be willing to include young prospects.

[Dan Z]

Are you thinking of the Bulls offering something like this?

Lonzo (team option after next year)
Vucevic (expiring after next year)
#12 pick in the 2025 draft
2026 pick swap
2027 pick
2028 pick swap
2029 pick
2030 swap
2031 pick
Portland pick

One problem with that, from Milwaukee's perspective, is that the Bulls team with Giannis will probably be good. That means there's a good chance those picks won't be great. If they trade Giannis and the best they get is #12 in 2025 then that's a bad deal.

EDIT: I'd like to add that this is one reason why it's even more frustrating that AK doesn't value picks. He never does anything to acquire future assets (okay...he did it once...the Markkanen trade and with that one he agreed to an odd set of protections).

#12 is probably the best they'll get, superstar trades normally get a bunch of mid to low picks.
The Paul George trade was probably the biggest heist in recent memory and the best pick was #12. The only pick conveyed so far from the Durant trade was #21, #9 will convey this year. Jimmy Butler only got Miami one 1st round pick, #20.

Teams with a good chance of getting top picks like Washington or Charlotte aren't going to be trading for Giannis, the picks are more valuable.

The Durant trade also included Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson. Plus, Durant was 34 years old at that time (Giannis is 30 right now).

Butler is 35 years old and was looking for a big contract extension. He was never going to get that much in a trade.

I agree with you that teams such as Washington and Charlotte won't trade for Giannis. Most likely the Bucks will want a good player(s) plus picks for him.

[stepic]

Other teams will certainly be able to offer a better package. It’ll depend on how much Giannis would push for us, if at all. If he wants another championship there are better options than us too frankly.

[HomoSapien]

Just a reminder that DeMarcus Cousins said earlier this season that Giannis would often joke about wanting to play for the Bulls, but that his jokes would often come from a place of truth. Everyone will offer crazy packages. We could offer lots of expiring contracts and all our draft capital.

Are you thinking of the Bulls offering something like this?

Lonzo (team option after next year)
Vucevic (expiring after next year)
#12 pick in the 2025 draft
2026 pick swap
2027 pick
2028 pick swap
2029 pick
2030 swap
2031 pick
Portland pick

One problem with that, from Milwaukee's perspective, is that the Bulls team with Giannis will probably be good. That means there's a good chance those picks won't be great. If they trade Giannis and the best they get is #12 in 2025 then that's a bad deal.

EDIT: I'd like to add that this is one reason why it's even more frustrating that AK doesn't value picks. He never does anything to acquire future assets (okay...he did it once...the Markkanen trade and with that one he agreed to an odd set of protections).

Maybe they ask for Matas and that's something to consider. But yeah, that is more or less what I was thinking. I do think other teams can outright beat it, but a Giannis trade will also largely be driven by where he wants to end up. Aside from Chicago being a huge market, it's close to Milwaukee and that in itself has an appeal.

If he wants to go to OKC or someone with a lot of great assets we're toast, but if he's interested specifically in us I do think we can make a credible offer.

[Chi town]

Giannis won’t be traded in the division.

No way to Chicago.

[kodo]

If the Bulls win the lottery and AK offers up a top 4 pick in this draft, that will probably be the top offer for a rebuilding Milwaukee team with no picks until 2031.

Once again, everything depends on lotto luck which we didn't do much to maximize.

[Dan Z]

https://www.theringer.com/2025/04/28/nba/damian-lillard-achilles-injury-milwaukee-bucks-giannis-antetokounmpo-trade-rumors

[jStuNNa]

Giannis won’t be traded in the division.

No way to Chicago.

Maybe... But division rivalries aren't what they used to be. I'm not sure this matters to GMs or fanbases anymore.

[jc23]

If the Bulls win the lottery and AK offers up a top 4 pick in this draft, that will probably be the top offer for a rebuilding Milwaukee team with no picks until 2031.

Once again, everything depends on lotto luck which we didn't do much to maximize.

thinking the same. if we jump into the top 4 ....