WT: Giannis Antetokounmpo's Future With Bucks 'The Elephant In The Room' In NBA

[CPT]

Posters would have had the raptors sell the farm for Durant (how's that working for the Suns), for Dame (how's that working for the bucks) and now for Giannis which would leave the Raptors with very little talent to surround him with which is what Giannis is experiencing in Milwaukee. Until the Raptors demonstrate that they are ready to contend by making the playoffs and maybe winning a round or two, going big game hunting is a futile exercise .

Good thing we didn’t do that. We might have been in one of the worst situations in the league.

Wait…

[Potential]

We're in one of the best situations in the league right now. So much intriguing young talent and we have all our picks. All of that is more than enough to get a superstar like Giannis without having to give up Scottie. But in an emergency plan b situation if we really have to, we do have Scottie to offer.

[NinjaBro]

We're in one of the best situations in the league right now. So much intriguing young talent and we have all our picks. All of that is more than enough to get a superstar like Giannis without having to give up Scottie. But in an emergency plan b situation if we really have to, we do have Scottie to offer.

We're not ready to make a play for someone like Giannis. We need to develop our young talent and get them ready.

[TorontoBarneys]

I mean, Durant is still playing high level basketball even at 36, and we wanted him like 3 years ago, when he was 33, which is still 3 years older than current Giannis.

I was never on board the Dame train. Insanely overrated player.

[brownbobcat]

We're in one of the best situations in the league right now. So much intriguing young talent and we have all our picks. All of that is more than enough to get a superstar like Giannis without having to give up Scottie. But in an emergency plan b situation if we really have to, we do have Scottie to offer.

One of the best situations? Absolutely not. "Intriguing" is what you call a player who's only good sometimes - also known as "inconsistent".

[Pointgod]

Potential trade offer from OKC to Bucks.

Bucks get
IH
Alex Caruso
Nikola Topic
2025 FRP (via Mia)
2026 FRP
2027 FRP (via Den)
2029 FRP (via Den)

If they need to, they can swap out for someone else like Cason Wallace or Dieng and Dort etc

I assume Chet, Shai and Jalen are untouchable

lol OKC isn’t getting Giannis without at least one of Jalen or Chet. Let’s get real here.

[Nebuchadnezzar]

Potential trade offer from OKC to Bucks.

Bucks get
IH
Alex Caruso
Nikola Topic
2025 FRP (via Mia)
2026 FRP
2027 FRP (via Den)
2029 FRP (via Den)

If they need to, they can swap out for someone else like Cason Wallace or Dieng and Dort etc

I assume Chet, Shai and Jalen are untouchable

lol OKC isn’t getting Giannis without at least one of Jalen or Chet. Let’s get real here.

We can dominate that offer with our assets, not even close

[CPT]

We're in one of the best situations in the league right now. So much intriguing young talent and we have all our picks. All of that is more than enough to get a superstar like Giannis without having to give up Scottie. But in an emergency plan b situation if we really have to, we do have Scottie to offer.

lol "intriguing"

Is Jamal Shead a future 8th man or 11th? Mysterious!

Over/under on total All-NBA appearances for players currently on the roster? 1.5?

How many years before we even have another All-Star? 1? 4?

[anotherhomer]

Potential trade offer from OKC to Bucks.

Bucks get
IH
Alex Caruso
Nikola Topic
2025 FRP (via Mia)
2026 FRP
2027 FRP (via Den)
2029 FRP (via Den)

If they need to, they can swap out for someone else like Cason Wallace or Dieng and Dort etc

I assume Chet, Shai and Jalen are untouchable

lol OKC isn’t getting Giannis without at least one of Jalen or Chet. Let’s get real here.

We can dominate that offer with our assets, not even close

i think Chet or Jalen is something they could live without, but it'll be maybe 1-2 picks then

[Raps in 4]

lol OKC isn’t getting Giannis without at least one of Jalen or Chet. Let’s get real here.

We can dominate that offer with our assets, not even close

i think Chet or Jalen is something they could live without, but it'll be maybe 1-2 picks then

I'd look to keep Jalen at all costs. He'd fit that team like a glove. Could be one of the strongest big-3s ever.

[brownbobcat]

Potential trade offer from OKC to Bucks.

Bucks get
IH
Alex Caruso
Nikola Topic
2025 FRP (via Mia)
2026 FRP
2027 FRP (via Den)
2029 FRP (via Den)

If they need to, they can swap out for someone else like Cason Wallace or Dieng and Dort etc

I assume Chet, Shai and Jalen are untouchable

lol OKC isn’t getting Giannis without at least one of Jalen or Chet. Let’s get real here.

We can dominate that offer with our assets, not even close

What assets does Toronto have that are better than that?

[Nebuchadnezzar]

lol OKC isn’t getting Giannis without at least one of Jalen or Chet. Let’s get real here.

We can dominate that offer with our assets, not even close

What assets does Toronto have that are better than that?

We can provide 4 first round picks plus Scottie or RJ or quick.

[brownbobcat]

We can dominate that offer with our assets, not even close

What assets does Toronto have that are better than that?

We can provide 4 first round picks plus Scottie or RJ or quick.

Remind me again, how many 1st rounders does OKC have?

I assumed you would have kept Barnes in this scenario since I don't see Giannis wanting to come here to play with even less talent. IHart is as good as Poeltl and guys like Caruso/Dort would be highly valued assets around the league because they can plug into winning teams. You can't say the same about RJ at all and I doubt IQ at $130M/4 is that enticing to many other teams, many of whom have better or cheaper starters at PG.

[Basketball_Jones]

If Chet can shoot like he did tonight they don’t need Giannis.

[yellowknifer]

If we give away assets to make a competitive offer for Giannis, he will come here with no one to play with, I don't think this is the right time to swing for a superstar. Let's keep adding talent until we are deep enough to trade for a star player + have enough remaining to contend with.

I think we have a lot of guys who can play. Scotty would probably be the central piece. A lot would depend on what the Bucks think of him. We would have to throw in a bunch of picks and perhaps 1 or 2 of the young rookie contracts. There are a lot of variables. If the Bucks sit on this and hope for a good off-season it could change things too. Scotty moves his value up. If their offseason isn’t good… a lot could happen. If it is really good maybe he doesn’t ask out. I don’t think they will trade him unless he asks for it.

[yellowknifer]

What assets does Toronto have that are better than that?

We can provide 4 first round picks plus Scottie or RJ or quick.

Remind me again, how many 1st rounders does OKC have?

I assumed you would have kept Barnes in this scenario since I don't see Giannis wanting to come here to play with even less talent. IHart is as good as Poeltl and guys like Caruso/Dort would be highly valued assets around the league because they can plug into winning teams. You can't say the same about RJ at all and I doubt IQ at $130M/4 is that enticing to many other teams, many of whom have better or cheaper starters at PG.

I think Giannis and Barnes as he is now are somewhat redundant. Our ability to win any trade and remain competitive will depend heavily on how our offseason goes and how the Bucks offseason goes. Plus whoever we might be competing with. I think our best case is no deal is demanded, the Bucks flail and Scotty ups his value playing a slightly different role next year or he takes a big step forward shooting and finishing. I don’t think they would be that interested in our picks since they would likely be pretty low, but they’re still something for a team that doesn’t have many if any first rounders for a while.

[dTox]

What beats RJ + Dick + picks in this hypothetical bidding war ?
Or what team would top that with what players?

Why would they want RJ? I don't think you realize that he's at best, a neutral asset with his contract. In a world where we are competing in a trade scenario without involving Scottie, this is what OKC could offer:

Philly pick this year (top 5 protected)
Hawks pick this year, no protection
Utah pick next year, top 8 protected
Dallas or Philly pick in 2026, no protection
2027 Pacers or Heat pick, no protection
2028 Milwaukee pick (No protection)
2028 Utah pick (no protection)

The above is just half of the assets the Thunder posses, I can go on but the list is very long and I am at work lol. Think about it, if the Bucks trade Giannis, they are likely tanking, and the Thunder can trade back the Bucks' unprotected 2028 draft pick that the Thunder own. There is no way in hell you would compete with the above trade package involving RJ, Dick, etc. It's not even a conversation starter.

I'm not arguing the assets or draft picks that OKC has, but even you didn't pitch any of the outgoing salaries in this hypothetical trade

I'm by no means a cap expert but a combination of Dort + Caruso (or Hartenstein) would be a conversation starter, and then add filler salaries (to go along with the assets)

[MoneyBall]

I hurts me to say this, but there's no way we get Giannis without including Barnes.

[LarSiN]

Giannis probably has more say in where he ends up, which means probably GSW or LAL. Big markets in warm weather.

No doubt. Or Texas. Not cold Canada.

Buzz Killington has arrived, right on schedule!

[Scizzup]

Giannis is not coming here. If he is going to leave his "franchise" its going to be for a team with a much better chance at the title or a huge media market.

I think Houston is interesting, a huge Nigerian population + Hakeem, and they have a elite defensive roster needing an elite scorer like him. They would still be worse than OKC but that potentially puts them 2nd best team in the West (depends on what is traded) with a chance to win it.


also Scottie would have to be included in any Giannis trade no matter if he puts them on the list or not unless u win the lotto.