Giannis to OKC w/o trading the big 3 with NOP/POR/WAS

[Mavrelous]

Complementary deals:
Hartenstein + DEN 29 1st to NOP for CJ McColum + Kelly Olynyk + Bucks 26 swap extinguished and Bucks 27 1st.
NOP gets a center for an overpaid player, dumps salary to open the MLE or resign Brown for 2 years of Bucks draft control.

CJM+Wiggins + DEN 27 1st to POR for Jerami Grant + Thybulle + 28 swap Bucks swap + 30 bucks swap
POR dumps Grant, and get a young backup guard, adds a 1st and a respected vet to end his career where he started for the 2 bucks swaps, keep Bucks 29 1st.

Wizards eat Olynyk into MLE and PatC into exception for Clippers 25 1st
Wizards eat the salary to facilitate the trade and get a 1st.

So Hartenstein, DEN 27 + 29 1st and Clippers 25 1sts are used to get back draft control to the Bucks and dump salary to facilitate the deal.

This gives the Bucks 3 years of draft control and also get back control of 2030.

Giannis for Jerami Grant, Thybulle, Dieng, Topic, Heat 25 1st, Clippers 26 1st, Sixers 26 1st, best of OKC 27 1st (with the Clippers super swap), OKC 28 1st (best of OKC/Dallas),OKC 2030 1st.

Bucks get back all their draft control except 29 1st with POR, and add 5 1sts, #15 and 5 future picks with high upside, they go into full rebuild.

OKC roster:
Chet/JWill
Giannis/Kenrich
Dort/Caruso
JDub/Cason
SGA/Joe

This will get crazy expensive with SGA/Giannis taking 70% of the cap, JDub/Chet 50% (at least, likely one of them will be bumped to 30%) and Dort/Caruso/Joe 30%, they'll operate at 150% of the cap for 2-3 years after the next, but this will likely be at least top 3 all time team, if not best team of all time.

[Dame Lizard]

Value isn't bad for Portland, but I pass.

As bad as Grant's contract is, Portland isn't contending - thus I don't want to give up good draft value to dump him.

If we were a playoff team, different story.

[Myth]

Those Bucks swaps may end up lottery picks and thus way more valuable than the 27 Nuggets pick. Easy pass for Portland.

[Mavrelous]

For the record, 28 swap is activated only if POR is a lottery team for another 3 years, which means both teams need to be in the lottery and Bucks finish lower, another way to activate is for POR to make the PO in 27 and close the pick debt, but I have that as unlikely.
For that reason, I have the offer as a significant overpay just to get the books clean, but the deal still works w/o it so the POR portion could be taken out.

[jayjaysee]

To me, you don’t need to involve Portland here.

Pay NOP enough for two years back. Then give Mil the future assets. If after two strong tanking years the team hasn’t found a piece, they can call Portland themselves about the 2028 swap. They’ll have a lot of swings between 2026 and 2027 though not including Topic..

For OKC? If Clayton is willing to pay for the 2026-2027 season, I think this deal is worth it honestly. If he’s willing to pay it 2027-2028 it’s kind of a no brainer..? But even just having that group together for 2 full seasons and then ducking the second apron the following offseason.. winning 150 regular season games in the next two seasons..

I think it’s more sustainable to just use one of Chet/Jalen and keep some of the pick surplus. But having that starting line up for two years straight would be special.

[Mavrelous]

I think it’s more sustainable to just use one of Chet/Jalen and keep some of the pick surplus. But having that starting line up for two years straight would be special.

Asset wise, I totally agree, fit wise? Chet can't go because Hartenstein is need for salary, they become way too thin w/o IHart and Chet, without JDub they become deficient in playmaking, but it's an easier problem to solve.
If Thunder can pay this payroll, it'll be an amazing experiment.

[BlazersBroncos]

I am not surrendering those swaps.

[Mrakar]

No way Pelicans do this. Those 2 Bucks picks have much more value than backup center(have to assume Pels continue to develop Missi).

[jayjaysee]

I think it’s more sustainable to just use one of Chet/Jalen and keep some of the pick surplus. But having that starting line up for two years straight would be special.

Asset wise, I totally agree, fit wise? Chet can't go because Hartenstein is need for salary, they become way too thin w/o IHart and Chet, without JDub they become deficient in playmaking, but it's an easier problem to solve.
If Thunder can pay this payroll, it'll be an amazing experiment.

Yeah, I mean if any line up is worth the second apron - it’s that. And you can most likely build a 4 team deal the summer of 2027 and dump almost all of one of the max contracts if you don’t want to trigger the two year penalties..

But pick one of Caruso/Dort, with Chet, Joe, and Dieng. Is a legal trade. Throw in Topic and Mil is actually taking more salary than they send out.

The version with Jalen, should include Hartenstein though

[Godaddycurse]

No way Pelicans do this. Those 2 Bucks picks have much more value than backup center(have to assume Pels continue to develop Missi).

missi is not starting over hartenstein

[SkyHook]

Ambitious, but unlikely. Bucks draft capital owned by other teams are treasured assets at this point. I wouldn't give them up for anything less than an obvious overpay.

[Jon1798]

These Bucks picks could literally become the first picks in the next two drafts. Not saying they will, but they could. And you are offering Hartenstein and a Nuggets pick years from now? I think you are badly mis evaluating the situation.

[Mavrelous]

These Bucks picks could literally become the first picks in the next two drafts. Not saying they will, but they could. And you are offering Hartenstein and a Nuggets pick years from now? I think you are badly mis evaluating the situation.

Every pick can be the first pick, Warriors went for finalists to 2nd overall, but Bucks are a PO team with Giannis.
The question is, does NOP want to keep worthless assets (swaps with a PO team in the east), or do they prefer to get real stuff and let Bucks rebuild.

[Euphonetiks]

These Bucks picks could literally become the first picks in the next two drafts. Not saying they will, but they could. And you are offering Hartenstein and a Nuggets pick years from now? I think you are badly mis evaluating the situation.

Every pick can be the first pick, Warriors went for finalists to 2nd overall, but Bucks are a PO team with Giannis.
The question is, does NOP want to keep worthless assets (swaps with a PO team in the east), or do they prefer to get real stuff and let Bucks rebuild.

If Giannis wants out, the Bucks are not going to hold him hostage. Even if they do, the Bucks are now a Giannis injury away from the worst team in the league. Is Giannis going to kill himself for a 1st round exit or will he leverage a muscle strain to push for a trade?

I don’t see the Pelicans giving up the 26’ swap and ‘27 pick given the current situation unless they are paid a premium to do so.

[mlloyd10]

Some of you need to stop acting like you know Giannis. As long as the Bucks send him to a contending team, thats all he wants.

[saints63213]

Pelicans blocking numbers over this offer honestly it's that bad from their point of view...

[saints63213]

These Bucks picks could literally become the first picks in the next two drafts. Not saying they will, but they could. And you are offering Hartenstein and a Nuggets pick years from now? I think you are badly mis evaluating the situation.

Every pick can be the first pick, Warriors went for finalists to 2nd overall, but Bucks are a PO team with Giannis.
The question is, does NOP want to keep worthless assets (swaps with a PO team in the east), or do they prefer to get real stuff and let Bucks rebuild.

If they are "worthless" why would other want them? Come on be honest you just want to get them back for me t to nothing and it has a zero % chance of happening.

[Mavrelous]

These Bucks picks could literally become the first picks in the next two drafts. Not saying they will, but they could. And you are offering Hartenstein and a Nuggets pick years from now? I think you are badly mis evaluating the situation.

Every pick can be the first pick, Warriors went for finalists to 2nd overall, but Bucks are a PO team with Giannis.
The question is, does NOP want to keep worthless assets (swaps with a PO team in the east), or do they prefer to get real stuff and let Bucks rebuild.

If they are "worthless" why would other want them? Come on be honest you just want to get them back for me t to nothing and it has a zero % chance of happening.

They are worrhless if Bucks don't trade Giannis.

[saints63213]

Every pick can be the first pick, Warriors went for finalists to 2nd overall, but Bucks are a PO team with Giannis.
The question is, does NOP want to keep worthless assets (swaps with a PO team in the east), or do they prefer to get real stuff and let Bucks rebuild.

If they are "worthless" why would other want them? Come on be honest you just want to get them back for me t to nothing and it has a zero % chance of happening.

They are worthless if Bucks don't trade Giannis.

This entire thread is assuming Giannis is traded. I mean if we going to just change hypotheticals then those picks wouldn't even be wanted by the bucks so that point is mute...

[LarsV8]

I think that New Orleans will get something good out of this situation, but its unlikely they get actual good draft selections from those swaps.

Houston for example, had the Nets in a similar bind, and got the Phx picks back in exchange for letting them go.

If they truly refuse to deal, it will kind of force Milwaukee to not trade Giannis, and then its a very meh outcome for all parties.