The story isn't over yet — there's still a chance the Milwaukee Bucks can convince Giannis Antetokounmpo to stick around after a year full of drama and trade rumors. But they can't do that without putting a contending team around the greatest player in their franchise history, and the path to doing so might actually derail them from becoming the team they aspire to be.
So with its back against the wall, Milwaukee might not have another option left but to trade Giannis this offseason. If that's the case, as dire as the circumstances may be, they still have an opportunity to retool on the fly and build something promising out of a sour situation.
With a player as legendary as Giannis, even with only one year left on his contract, teams will be forced to put some of their best trade chips on the table, including some of the brightest stars in the NBA today. If the Bucks decide their best course forward is to trade Giannis for an established player instead of prioritizing future assets, they could have some intriguing options on the trade market.
1. Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
Let's get the elephant in the room out of the way up top. Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown has long been cast as second-fiddle to Jayson Tatum despite being a player of high pedigree himself. Clearly, it works, as the Celtics convincingly won an NBA title with Brown in that role, but is that what he wants at this stage of his career?
This is the question looming over the heads of Celtics fans after a disappointing first-round upset at the hands of their rival Philadelphia 76ers — a team that hobbled its way into the Playoffs before facing a sweep by the New York Knicks. Getting overshadowed by not one, but two Atlantic Conference foes could force the Celtics into a difficult decision.
As a lead option for much of the year, Brown was one of the top MVP candidates in the NBA, finishing with a stat line of 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game while leading his team to the second seed in the East. He even referred to this as his "favorite season" despite how it ended, leading many to wonder if he prefers a leading role at this stage of his career.
Brown and Antetokounmpo are both up for supermax contract extensions this summer, and given Boston's level of aggression the last few years, it's conceivable that they would swallow their pride and lure Giannis to Bean Town to open a new title window. Brown would likely need to force their hand, but crazier and more unexpected things happen in the NBA every year.
2. Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic
Pressure is mounting for an Orlando Magic franchise that hasn't made it past the first round of the Playoffs since 2010. Drafting Paolo Banchero first overall in 2022 felt like the turning point, but through the first four years of his career, they have yet to see the level of success they may have expected — especially since leveraging their future draft capital to acquire Desmond Bane last summer.
Could that mounting pressure push the front office toward separating its two star forwards, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner? That remains unclear to this point, but anything is possible, and the public sentiment surrounding Bachero hasn't been as kind lately as in years past.
While it may seem like Paolo was less productive this year due to a per-game scoring decrease, there's an argument to be made that he was more productive all-around, setting a career-high of 8.9 rebounds per game and shooting a career-best 45.9% from the field while dishing out more than five assists per game — only 0.2 shy of his career-high in that category.
The eye test would say otherwise to most pundits, who criticized his defensive effort, shot selection, and perceived lack of progression since entering the league.
The first step for them was firing head coach Jamahl Mosley, but that's not to say they won't have discussions about whether putting Paolo on the table for Giannis is the best thing to do for their title chances. It doesn't hurt that Giannis notoriously loves Walt Disney World.
3. Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks
The rumored love affair between Giannis and the New York Knicks has been documented for years, with the Greek Freak consistently praising the city itself, Knicks fans, and the atmosphere of 'The Mecca of Basketball' in Madison Square Garden. Although New York just steamrolled its way to an Eastern Conference Finals appearance, that probably won't stop them from considering a Giannis trade later this summer.
Towns is on track for a Hall of Fame career. Now 30 years old, the former No. 1 pick just completed his 10th season of 20+ PPG with double-digit rebounds per game in all but three seasons of his NBA career. He's considered one of the greatest 3-point shooting big men of all-time, and through this year's playoffs, he is showing considerable growth as a playmaker at 6.6 assists per game.
Unfortunately for Milwaukee, Towns is unproven as a No. 1 option with his Timberwolves teams often failing to reach the Playoffs before Anthony Edwards arrived in town. He'd be incredible as a No. 2 next to Giannis, but as the franchise's north star, it'd be a tough sell.
Nonetheless, he's an extremely talented player in the prime of his career, and that's worth something. We just don't know how much it's worth to a Milwaukee team charting its path forward.
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