RealGM

If the Bucks rebuild, they need to get New Orleans to give them back their next 2 drafts. The best deal I could come up with was:

Lillard, Brook Lopez and a 2031 swap to New Orleans for Ingram, McCollum, Robinson-Earl and the Bucks get back their 2025 1st (if 5th-30th, if it's top 4 it goes to Brooklyn) and the Pelicans forfeit their rights to swap the 2026 pick with Milwaukee's. Pelicans now roll out Murray and Lillard at guard, Trey Murphy, HerbJones and Zion on the wings/forward spots and Lopez and Missi is a good center pairing with Missi the long-term starter and Lopez a rare shooting 5 to open up rim space for Zion and DeJounte. It's a bit Murray-Trae Young redux, but the Hawks didn't have a frontcourt anywhere near this good or a shooting 5.

Financially, the deal is fine for the Pelicans apart from the 2026-27 season but you can normally have one big payroll year and survive, and this gives them 3 playoff chances to try to make a real run at a title.

For the Bucks, they can now tank this season and the next, come out with 2 good young players and whatever they get for Giannis, Ingram, Portis and Middleton.

If this isn't enough for New Orleans, send an asset from the Giannis trade (or if it's a 3 way, the team sending a bad contract to Milwaukee (say. If it's too much, take away the 2031 swap.

Ingram is sent somewhere else, either immediately and the deal is a 3-way at the deadline.

So, is this viable, or is the money and Lillard-Murray fit too scary for New Orleans after Trae-Murray was a bust, and you need to instead send Lillard somewhere else (I still like Brook Lopez as Zion's center a lot) and it's something like:

-Lillard to the Heat
-Rozier + 20M expiring to the Pelicans
-Duncan Robinson to a team that need shooting (Redick might want him, Detroit has Hardaway's expiring, Clippers could do P.J Tucker, Hyland, Coffey and some 2nds, would Memphis prefer Robinson to Kennard + some 2nds or about to be RFA Aldama who I think will get at least an MLE offer from some team wanting a shooting big)

What is the Pelicans biggest need?

For NOP to give up those picks for Dame, he has to be playing exceptionally well. And for MIL to pivot to rebuilding and need to do this trade, they need to continue to be downright terrible because even if they're only middling it's hard for me to see them jumping right to trading Giannis in his prime. So it's kind of a tough world for me to envision a world where Dame is playing exceptionally well alongside a prime Giannis and MIL continues to be THAT bad where they're turning to a rebuild.

As bad as they've looked, I just dont see them going anywhere near this direction. Doc didn't sign up to coach young guys/through a rebuild. If they try a rebuild I dont know that Horst gets to lead it (if you are going with a new roster anyways best to bring in fresh eyes on everything). With the additional problem of "we dont have our picks, how can we get them back?" I just dont see how that all comes together. I imagine they'll fight all season to figure some things out and get into the playoffs even if some might say thats not in the best long-term vision of the team.

Considering the Pelicans GM is probably salivating as we speak knowing those draft picks could skyrocket in value if the Bucks continue lose and possibly eventually blow it up, they probably aren’t getting their picks back unless it’s for an extra hefty price.

Start with Giannis and we will talk from there.
Giannis and Middleton for Zion, Ingram and filler + bucks picks back + NO picks?

won't happen for anything realistic. the team is Giannis and a lot of players that just don't have a lot of trade value.

Unless the Pelicans are ready to go all the way in immediately and trade for Lillard (and hope he has 2 or 3 really good years left on the tires), I don't see any way for the Bucks to get their picks back.

This was always the price for Jrue. They won the title with him, and the picks from 2024-2027 (when all the main cogs were expected to be aging) were the value they traded to get him. The Pels have no real reason to give up value from that trade before they've seen any of it. Maybe they get in on whatever Giannis trade might or might not happen in a year or two, and profit tremendously from it, but I really don't think anything happens.

tundraknight wrote:Considering the Pelicans GM is probably salivating as we speak knowing those draft picks could skyrocket in value if the Bucks continue lose and possibly eventually blow it up, they probably aren’t getting their picks back unless it’s for an extra hefty price.

Agreed although some sort of Giannis deal could get Griffin's attention. Otherwise the Bucks don't have anything of value to trade in order get those picks back.

They don't, unless they trade Giannis there.

babyjax13 wrote:They don't, unless they trade Giannis there.

Some sore of Giannis for Zion + picks returned deal? Zion's 'at least famous to be a return star for the Bucks.

Ell Curry wrote:Bucks get back their 2025 1st (if 5th-30th, if it's top 4 it goes to Brooklyn)

Actually, if it's top 4 it goes to the Pelicans. If 5-30, then it goes to Brooklyn. Could you imagine if Pels lucked into one of Flagg, Bailey, Edgecomb, Traore with the Bucks' pick!! Would be crazy.

giberish wrote:

babyjax13 wrote:They don't, unless they trade Giannis there.

Some sore of Giannis for Zion + picks returned deal? Zion's 'at least famous to be a return star for the Bucks.

It'd be interesting, for sure, but I'm not sure that is the best return they can get for Giannis. I think it is a sunk cost at this point.

Zion and picks for Giannis.
Maybe throw.in McCollum/Middleton swap.

giberish wrote:

babyjax13 wrote:They don't, unless they trade Giannis there.

Some sore of Giannis for Zion + picks returned deal? Zion's 'at least famous to be a return star for the Bucks.

My thinking is that:

1 - This could work, also makes sense if it was a 3 way deal. Milwaukee gets back their 2026 first swap and can tank next year along with an army of firsts and Zion is moved somewhere else for additional picks/young players.

You can add in McCollum, Missi to Milwaukee and Brook Lopez and Gary Trent Jr (Pels will need shooting) and the Pelicans have a legit team worth sending a lot of picks out along with Zion:

Lopez-Giannis-Jones-Murphy-Murray
Theis-Trent-Hawkins-Alvarado

You'd want another combo forward type who can hit a 3 but that can be like a Keita Bates Diop type minimum guy and maybe the MLE or a smaller exception in the summer.

No idea who the Zion bidders would be. Off the top of my head I think some of the Pistons, Bulls, Warriors, Clippers, Memphis, Rockets, Kings might kick the tires on a deal.

2 - Would Giannis want to go to New Orleans? City-wise, does he care about big markets? It's not a great supporting cast, but they are in their primes (Murphy 24, Jones 26, Murray 28).

Bucks aren't trading Giannis, why would the Bucks even want "their" pick back in this scenario? It doesn't even make sense. Its dumb and you should feel bad for proposing it.

The bucks are screwed man. They bet and lost the bet

I had a trade on this topic really.

Lillard for CJ+Herb+26swap+27FRP

Bucks can trade Giannis this offseason. Tank a couple seasons then.they have a swap option with Blazers in 2028 that they can still be good enough to dodge.

Not sure if this is doable or not, but let's assume the situation continues to devolve and GA wants out now.

NO happens to own MIL 27' pick, 26' swap and a portion of their 25' pick (if it lands 1-4 it goes to NO, 5-30 goes to BRK)

MIl is $6.5mil over 2nd apron, meaning trades have to be 1 for 1 (cannot aggregate)
NO happens to be under the 1st apron, so they can go over (to acquire GA wouldn't you?), but likely would not want to go over the 2nd (they could, but best to be avoided)

Trade #1: Connaughtan for Antonio Reeves, this gets MIL under 2nd apron (now they can aggregate), NO is now over the 1st apron, but under the 2nd by $6mil or so.

Trade #2: Since both teams are now over the 1st apron and cannot take in more salary than they send out, in order for this trade to work a 3rd team needs to be involved. I used POR for this example, but it could be any team, most likely one that is under the luxury tax or 1st apron

MIL sends GA, D.Wright to NO and Beauchamp to POR
NO sends Ingram, Hawkins & Herb Jones to MIL, along with MIL 27' pick back and extinguishing swap rights in 25' (minor matter, the ship has sailed on getting that pick back (BRK)), extinguishing 26' swap rights w\NO and (2) future 1st round picks, let's say NO 2025 & 2029 1st rounders (unprotected).

MIL gets their 27' pick back, swap rights on 26' nullified (and on 25', 1-4), (3) young players in Hawkins/Jones/Reeves + (2) 25 & 29 future 1sts's from NO and they still have Ingram to re-route, Dame (if they can), Middleton, Lopez, Portis...

Gotta believe NO has to be monitioring MIL\GA situation and since they own MIL picks over the next 3 years, they may be first in line should GA force his way out.

zimpy27 wrote:I had a trade on this topic really.

Lillard for CJ+Herb+26swap+27FRP

Bucks can trade Giannis this offseason. Tank a couple seasons then.they have a swap option with Blazers in 2028 that they can still be good enough to dodge.

Except - as noted in that thread - NO has no interest in such a deal. If I were NO's GM I wouldn't make that deal even without the picks. The Pels have salary issues going forward making Herb Jones quite valuable to them while Lillard's deal at his current and future quality is problematic. It also pushes Murray from PG to SG and he was terrible at SG for the Hawks.

Maybe there's a 3rd team that Lillard makes sense for that would give enough value for the Pels to move the picks but I doubt it.

Certainly any credible Giannis offer would have plenty of value to send some value to NO and get the picks back but it might not be worth it. The Bucks current roster is so limited that just getting multiple useful players back in a Giannis deal may make the team at least as good if not better even with the severe downgrade from Giannis.