OT: The Giannis trade rumors will "probably" start in earnest now

[MalagaBulls]

I went on their board and asked a simple question & posted a couple of hypothetical trade packages I found. Some dude there accused me of gaslighting. A guy can't ask simple questions without having darts fired at him, I guess.

[sco]

I went on their board and asked a simple question & posted a couple of hypothetical trade packages I found. Some dude there accused me of gaslighting. A guy can't ask simple questions without having darts fired at him, I guess.

The nerve! I could NEVER see anything like that happening here.

[MalagaBulls]

I went on their board and asked a simple question & posted a couple of hypothetical trade packages I found. Some dude there accused me of gaslighting. A guy can't ask simple questions without having darts fired at him, I guess.

The nerve! I could NEVER see anything like that happening here.

Yeah, WE RESEMBLE THAT REMARK!!

[GoBlue72391]

Yeah, I realize more & more that the Bucks are totally screwed and will want someone like Buzelis as a centerpiece. That's a hard no for me.

I thought I was the biggest Buz guy on the board, but drawing the line at Buz for Giannis is crazy talk. And I don't even like Giannis.

You're right, F that. Do what it takes to get Giannis including Buzelis. This is exactly the type of all in move that AK will try.

I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not.

[The Box Office]

Even if Giannis lands on the Spurs, they're not winning anything meaningful.
- Wemby's durability will always be a massive concern
- The rest of the team is made up of puppies. They have a lot to learn before winning.
- They need experienced vets to make up for the lack of experience. How are they gonna do that?

[MrSparkle]

Even if Giannis lands on the Spurs, they're not winning anything meaningful.
- Wemby's durability will always be a massive concern
- The rest of the team is made up of puppies. They have a lot to learn before winning.
- They need experienced vets to make up for the lack of experience. How are they gonna do that?

You're right about the latter points. I don't know if SAS would begin to consider the deal if there was any question about Wemby's durability. Depends on whether that blood clot was an isolated issue or will be an ongoing thing. The one and only reason I think they'd consider spending their farm on Giannis, is because they already made the Fox trade, the combined salaries of Barnes/Vassell/Keldon and rookie contracts (Castle, Sochan), that's a lot of money for an unproven, mediocre playoff core. The timelines of Giannis and that farm just don't line up. Zero playoff experience.

I think Houston is the best fit for Giannis. Frankly, it not being a top-4 pick makes it an easier negotiation/decision for Houston. Flagg or Harper would've been much stronger trade pieces, but the consensus is that it's a 1-2 Draft; open the rest of the lotto.

The no-brainer package:

1. #10, Reed, Jabari - 3 obvious assets that go.
2. 4 more unprotected FRPs (27 PHX, 27 BRK/HOU best, 28 HOU, 29 BRK/HOU/PHX best).

3. Nets could get back on track by 27, but Suns look really bad. They could trade Durant from some depth that helps Booker win more games, but who knows what they do. Approaching fair compensation... but you still need the big fish/salary to complete the deal. So here are the options:

A. (Amen) & Brooks: Overpaid. Seems to be an important defensive piece, until he pisses off and motivates the other team's best player. Then come the salty tears. But I dunno- he isn't negative value since it's a short contract, but it also doesn't seal the above deal. So you have to add Amen in complete the deal. At that point, I think Houston overpays for 1 player (and whatever crap contract Milwaukee adds). FVV/Green/Giannis/Sengun are a killer team, but their depth chart and assets are nuked.

B. Green: Modestly paid, flawed first option. He could be the Middleton in the equation. Or if he goes, Houston doesn't shed too many tears. They just need to find a decent iso shooter to step in, with the rest of their assets. Cam Thomas, LeVert, Trent Jr... there are poor man's options who can at least fill 20 mpg in that role, in the immediate short-term.

C. FVV: Really hard to consider adding Giannis without Fred. He's the floor general, champion vet. Very overpaid, but that team option would be $45M off Milwaukee's books after draft night. Bucks need to win games to save face (no picks), so getting FVV just to waive him doesn't make sense to me, although they would entirely avoid the luxury tax. So if money matters that much, maybe he's the expendable piece.

D. Sengun: Houston's best player. He'd create leverage to keep 1 pick. Only knock is he's a little injury prone.

Houston has a killer starting 5 that won 52 games, and they'd replace one guy with GIANNIS. Sounds like a near-guaranteed championship move to me... unlike the Spurs scenario, which would be a dubious long-term gamble. Houston knows what they have in their guys; all solid players. Amen and Sengun have the highest ceilings, latter being an established perennial star big (bit injury prone). Green is a fringe star, no slouch. The other thing, is they trim fat off the books (prospects who won't play playoff minutes). There's an argument almost for each of those guys. My order of likelihood would be DABC. Sengun and that package would be about as fair as it could get for Giannis, and Houston could at least address C by resigning Adams, recruiting Brook Lopez, etc. (not to mention Giannis spends half of every game at C).

I'm not crying if I'm the Bucks. With Sengun, they'd already beat the Bulls in a play-in. Next year they get Dame back on the floor. At the very least they have a huge expiring trade chip.

[Dez]

In what world is Jalen Green modestly paid? He's an absolute albatross contract.

[The Box Office]

I was high on Jalen Green before he was drafted. I had him as a Top 3 pick. He had potential to be a Superstar ONLY IF he played defense and can facilitate.

He doesn't do any of those.

He's just another kid who has hops and can score. That's it. To top that all off, he's inconsistent at the scoring part. Don't know why Rockets are still behind him. I sure as hell trade Jalen Green BEFORE I think about trading Reed Sheppard (who needs to reduce his 3 point attempts by the way)

Anyways, back to us. Yeah, the chances of us landing Giannis in a trade is slim to none, but it's not impossible. We'll need a 3rd team to help us.

[MrSparkle]

In what world is Jalen Green modestly paid? He's an absolute albatross contract.

23yo
21/4/3
$105/3Y

Sorry, but that’s not an albatross contract. Inefficient player, but he produces in 33 mpg. Settled on the bigger salary with shorter length. Fair extension for a #2 pick who shows signs of 1st option but on low efficiency.

Top scorer on a 2-seed in the West. Must at worst be doing OK, no?

What , is the guy single-digit $90m P-Willy? Or show-up-for 6-weeks Coby?

[MrSparkle]

I was high on Jalen Green before he was drafted. I had him as a Top 3 pick. He had potential to be a Superstar ONLY IF he played defense and can facilitate.

He doesn't do any of those.

He's just another kid who has hops and can score. That's it. To top that all off, he's inconsistent at the scoring part. Don't know why Rockets are still behind him. I sure as hell trade Jalen Green BEFORE I think about trading Reed Sheppard (who needs to reduce his 3 point attempts by the way)

Anyways, back to us. Yeah, the chances of us landing Giannis in a trade is slim to none, but it's not impossible. We'll need a 3rd team to help us.

Matas, #12, 26/28/30/32 swaps & 27/29/31 FRPs all unprotected, salary filler (Huerter/Collins)

Giannis, Giddey, Coby, Patrick, Vuc, Jalen, Ayo, Terry, Phillips - that 2-9 doesn’t inspire confidence.

1 Achilles/ACL tear to the Freak and the world has a good chance of ending before you ever see a lottery pick again. Bulls don’t have the worthwhile player assets, besides Matas, to catch Bucks’ interest. So they need to unleash every pick they can trade. Even then, Bucks need a competitive, young, win-now core.

[Dez]

In what world is Jalen Green modestly paid? He's an absolute albatross contract.

23yo
21/4/3
$105/3Y

Sorry, but that’s not an albatross contract. Inefficient player, but he produces in 33 mpg. Settled on the bigger salary with shorter length. Fair extension for a #2 pick who shows signs of 1st option but on low efficiency.

Top scorer on a 2-seed in the West. Must at worst be doing OK, no?

What , is the guy single-digit $90m P-Willy? Or show-up-for 6-weeks Coby?

It's quite easily an albatros contract, inefficient offense with no defense or playmaking with what he makes is the epitome of a bad contract. He's like a Temu version of LaVine.

What does Williams garbage contract have to do with Green? Same with Coby? He's at least shown periods of consistent efficient scoring and some playmaking but I also want him traded because I don't want to pay him what the Rockets are paying Green.

[Dan Z]

Even if Giannis lands on the Spurs, they're not winning anything meaningful.
- Wemby's durability will always be a massive concern
- The rest of the team is made up of puppies. They have a lot to learn before winning.
- They need experienced vets to make up for the lack of experience. How are they gonna do that?

You're right about the latter points. I don't know if SAS would begin to consider the deal if there was any question about Wemby's durability. Depends on whether that blood clot was an isolated issue or will be an ongoing thing. The one and only reason I think they'd consider spending their farm on Giannis, is because they already made the Fox trade, the combined salaries of Barnes/Vassell/Keldon and rookie contracts (Castle, Sochan), that's a lot of money for an unproven, mediocre playoff core. The timelines of Giannis and that farm just don't line up. Zero playoff experience.

I think Houston is the best fit for Giannis. Frankly, it not being a top-4 pick makes it an easier negotiation/decision for Houston. Flagg or Harper would've been much stronger trade pieces, but the consensus is that it's a 1-2 Draft; open the rest of the lotto.

The no-brainer package:

1. #10, Reed, Jabari - 3 obvious assets that go.
2. 4 more unprotected FRPs (27 PHX, 27 BRK/HOU best, 28 HOU, 29 BRK/HOU/PHX best).

3. Nets could get back on track by 27, but Suns look really bad. They could trade Durant from some depth that helps Booker win more games, but who knows what they do. Approaching fair compensation... but you still need the big fish/salary to complete the deal. So here are the options:

A. (Amen) & Brooks: Overpaid. Seems to be an important defensive piece, until he pisses off and motivates the other team's best player. Then come the salty tears. But I dunno- he isn't negative value since it's a short contract, but it also doesn't seal the above deal. So you have to add Amen in complete the deal. At that point, I think Houston overpays for 1 player (and whatever crap contract Milwaukee adds). FVV/Green/Giannis/Sengun are a killer team, but their depth chart and assets are nuked.

B. Green: Modestly paid, flawed first option. He could be the Middleton in the equation. Or if he goes, Houston doesn't shed too many tears. They just need to find a decent iso shooter to step in, with the rest of their assets. Cam Thomas, LeVert, Trent Jr... there are poor man's options who can at least fill 20 mpg in that role, in the immediate short-term.

C. FVV: Really hard to consider adding Giannis without Fred. He's the floor general, champion vet. Very overpaid, but that team option would be $45M off Milwaukee's books after draft night. Bucks need to win games to save face (no picks), so getting FVV just to waive him doesn't make sense to me, although they would entirely avoid the luxury tax. So if money matters that much, maybe he's the expendable piece.

D. Sengun: Houston's best player. He'd create leverage to keep 1 pick. Only knock is he's a little injury prone.

Houston has a killer starting 5 that won 52 games, and they'd replace one guy with GIANNIS. Sounds like a near-guaranteed championship move to me... unlike the Spurs scenario, which would be a dubious long-term gamble. Houston knows what they have in their guys; all solid players. Amen and Sengun have the highest ceilings, latter being an established perennial star big (bit injury prone). Green is a fringe star, no slouch. The other thing, is they trim fat off the books (prospects who won't play playoff minutes). There's an argument almost for each of those guys. My order of likelihood would be DABC. Sengun and that package would be about as fair as it could get for Giannis, and Houston could at least address C by resigning Adams, recruiting Brook Lopez, etc. (not to mention Giannis spends half of every game at C).

I'm not crying if I'm the Bucks. With Sengun, they'd already beat the Bulls in a play-in. Next year they get Dame back on the floor. At the very least they have a huge expiring trade chip.

If Houston is interesting they make the most sense for a Giannis trade. I agree with you but don't think FVV should be in the deal. Houston will still need a point guard after acquiring Giannis and Milwaukee has no need for FVV.

If I'm Milwaukee I'd also try to get New Orleans involved so I could get back the 2026 swap and 2027 pick.

[Rose2Boozer]

Vassell, Castle, Barnes, 2, 14, and 2027 1st(Hawks unprotected) is a package that should get Giannis to the Spurs.

If I'm the Rockets front office, stay the course would be my direction going forward.

[MrSparkle]

Vassell, Castle, Barnes, 2, 14, and 2027 1st(Hawks unprotected) is a package that should get Giannis to the Spurs.

If I'm the Rockets front office, stay the course would be my direction going forward.

That’s not nearly enough for Giannis imo. Vassell makes $30M but plays like a below-average replaceable starter. His numbers dipped in Y5. That trade is basically Castle, Harper and Hawks 27 (which could be a mediocre pick, as their defensive core matures).

[jacoby1us]

The only teams that can offer Milwaukee some serious assets are OKC, SA and BKN. If I am the Bucks, I am interested in a quick reset that will yield some immediate draft capital which is either the Spurs or Thunder.

[Am2626]

Won't be here...

I could see LAL, DEN, NYK, SAS, HOU, or OKC making something happen. We don't really have the assets.

That's why the odds are about as good as us winning the "Cooper Flagg" sweepstakes. But if you want to throw sh** at the wall this would be an offer:

2025, 27, & 29 FRP's
2026 & 2028 swaps
PWill 18M
Huerter 17.9M
Jalen Smith 9M
Ayo 7.5
= 52.4M
for Giannis 54M

That's the absolute bare minimum that would get you a seat at the kid's table, which equates to that 1.7% odds.

Your are left with an interesting rotation of 8:

Giannis - 4
Buzelis - 3
Giddey - 1
Coby - 2
Collins - 5
Lonzo
Terry
Philips

Vuc is also out as a trade piece, possibly for a 2025 FRP, or a protected 2026 pick.

If the Bulls could somehow get Giannis while keeping all of Giddey, Coby, and Matas I would be ecstatic. The only chance they could pull this off is if Giannis demands a trade to the Bulls. A third team would also have to be involved.

[Am2626]

Giannis isn't coming here.

1: We don't have the assets to make the best offer

2: We have no hope of being better than Milwaukee is today after whatever our most reasonable Giannis offer is (ie, the reason Giannis will consider leaving Milwaukee will be equally true here)

We lose on both sides of the equation that you need to win on.

Unless Giannis demands a trade to the Bulls.

[Ice Man]

The problem with sending picks for Giannis is that any team that has Giannis won't have good picks. If I am the Bucks, forget that noise. There's limited value in collecting a bunch of #22 selections. You want a superstar? Send me one back.

[jnrjr79]

Giannis isn't coming here.

1: We don't have the assets to make the best offer

2: We have no hope of being better than Milwaukee is today after whatever our most reasonable Giannis offer is (ie, the reason Giannis will consider leaving Milwaukee will be equally true here)

We lose on both sides of the equation that you need to win on.

Unless Giannis demands a trade to the Bulls.

Yeah, I think the only realistic scenario in which the Bulls are in the mix is one where Giannis basically gets it out there that Chicago is the only team he'd be willing to extend with. Even then, it's possible some team thinks to themselves that they have 2 years to try to win titles and convince him to stay, so they may offer more than the Bulls can, anyway.

I know there have been rumblings over the years about how Giannis likes Chicago (and I've even seen recent reports that he has some real estate investments here near the UC, FWIW), but he'd have to feel really strongly about wanting to be here one other teams that would have a better winning situation for this to be something he'd do, you'd think.

[jnrjr79]

The problem with sending picks for Giannis is that any team that has Giannis won't have good picks. If I am the Bucks, forget that noise. There's limited value in collecting a bunch of #22 selections. You want a superstar? Send me one back.

Any ideal trading partner for Giannis is going to have existing young players with upside and own the rights to some third team's picks, for this reason, you'd think.