Once upon a time, it was a foregone conclusion that Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo would force his way to New York. Milwaukee's franchise icon was always enamored with the Big Apple, outwardly sharing his admiration for the city and for Madison Square Garden. That came to a head last year, when the Greek Freak's agent toiled with the idea of Giannis trading one Mecca for another.
The reigning Finals MVP, Jalen Brunson, was clearly off the table, but the name Karl-Anthony Towns was being thrown around often. It was widely expected that any Giannis-to-NY trade would have to include KAT, who went on to be the catalyst for New York's first championship in more than 50 years, thanks to his elite two-way performance while matched up with Victor Wembanyama in the Finals.
Well, according to a tell-all piece about KAT's journey written by The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski, Towns and his wife, Jordyn Woods, were looking at real estate in Milwaukee as they prepared for a trade that never came, reigniting the conversation amongst Bucks fans about whether the team waited too long to trade Giannis.
Towns spent much of his career as an underrated All-Star and one of the most dominant centers of his era, until this championship run solidified his place in league history. But even with that being the case, the Milwaukee Bucks were justified in waiting for the right deal, and even though Towns is the best player they could've gotten, the complete package they received from the Miami Heat put this team in the best position they could ask for to begin the post-Giannis era.
Even with Karl-Anthony Towns included, the Miami Heat offered the Milwaukee Bucks the best trade package for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Star power doesn't mean much if you can't build a winning context around your marquee player. That's the situation that Karl-Anthony Towns escaped after nearly a decade with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and one he'd find himself right back in if the Bucks traded for him.
New York depleted most of its draft capital when it traded for Towns and sent five first-rounders to Brooklyn for Mikal Bridges. Clearly, that worked out in their favor as they took home the title this year, but it also meant they couldn't have built a compelling package for Giannis outside of Towns himself.
With the Miami deal, however, the Bucks acquired an All-Star-caliber talent and a Milwaukee native in Tyler Herro, three more compelling young players in Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez, and Kasparas Jakučionis, and five draft picks, including three unprotected firsts, to replenish their draft pool for the next few years.
Although the grass might seem greener because we just witnessed what a fully-formed and focused version of KAT can do in the playoffs, the Bucks did the right thing by themselves when they held out for a better deal. Given the bargain-bin price tag we're seeing star players like Jaylen Brown or LaMelo Ball go for this summer, this was a solid haul as Milwaukee charts its course for a brighter future.
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