The Milwaukee Bucks are entering a pivotal offseason. With all eyes set on Giannis Antetokounmpo, teams from all over the league will, once again, try to get their hands on the former Defensive Player of the Year.
However, Giannis and the Bucks have been tangled up in a never-ending case of 'The Boy Who Cried Trade.' It's hard to take any of Antetokounmpo's comments seriously at this point after playing this game for years now.
That's why it wouldn't be surprising to watch Antetokounmpo stay in Milwaukee for another year. And, with the Dallas Mavericks cleaning house and parting ways with Jason Kidd, Giannis' former coach might make him one last gift: Kyrie Irving.
The Milwaukee Bucks could try to trade for Kyrie Irving.
The Mavs are moving on from everybody even slightly involved in the Luka Doncic trade. Kyrie and Kidd had a close relationship, so NBA insider Brandon 'Scoop B' Robinson believes the Mavericks could field calls for the former NBA champion:
"While public indications suggest Irving genuinely loves Dallas, enjoys playing for the Mavericks, and wants to stay, Masai Ujiri’s arrival signals that no one is untouchable as the franchise considers a total rebuild around reigning Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg," Robinson wrote.
For years, the Bucks have shut down the notion of trading Giannis. Even when it seemed like things had finally reached a breaking point, the Greek Freak stayed. So, who's to say they won't try to appease him by making yet another big offseason move?
The Bucks already tried this formula when they traded for Damian Lillard. Kyrie would provide the ball-handling, playmaking and three-level scoring that could help this team get to the next level, with defenses swarming him in the perimeter and Giannis roaming free in the paint.
That sounds like a perfect partnership on paper, but everybody saw how things ended with Lillard. Still, with all due respect to the Blazers' legend, Irving would probably be an upgrade in almost every aspect.
That said, trading for Irving would also come with some major risks. He's dealt with multiple injuries throughout his career, and he's not likely to get any healthier at 34. Still, if the Bucks want to hold onto the greatest player in franchise history, that may have to be a risk they'll just have to take.
There's a strong case to be made for just trading Giannis and hitting the drawing board to start from scratch, but team owner Jimmy Haslam has been adamant about staying competitive. If that's still his stance, this might be his last gamble.
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