As the dust clears and both sides have a better understanding of where they stand, the Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat probably both feel pretty strongly about how they fared in the astronomical trade that sent Giannis Antetokounmpo to South Beach. Although the ripple effects may feel more personal in scale, this multi-year trade saga reached the farthest depths of the NBA as every team was left wondering where this Top 5 player would land.
It's a far more nuanced situation than a straight-up 'Winners and Losers' list might suggest, but at the end of the day, everyone was impacted by this league-altering trade in one way or another — even teams or people who have nothing to do with the deal directly. Whether that be former coaches, opposing teams, media conglomerates, or something in between, almost everyone will feel some ramifications or emotions in the wake of this deal.
To reflect the intricacies of the trade and avoid painting the picture in broad strokes, we've broken the ranking into tiers based on how the trade impacted the situations and perspectives of everyone involved. For some, it's a clear win. For others, it's a clear loss. But for most? It's something in the middle.
Even setting aside the basketball implications, this deal has tremendous implications on business, offseason plans, and personal relationships throughout the NBA landscape. Just to clarify — the ranking is in order, so No. 1 on the list is the biggest winner while No. 50 is the biggest loser. We'll clarify a few of these picks at the end to wrap it all up. But without further ado...
From huge winners to massive losers, here is the official winner-to-loser ranking of all 50 stakeholders in the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade:
Tier 1: Won the trade
1. Giannis Antetokounmpo
2. Tyler Herro’s parents
3. Tyler Herro
4. Shams Charania
5. Portland Trail Blazers
6. New Orleans Pelicans
7. Kel’el Ware
8. Bobby Portis Jr.
9. Nate Ament
10. Erik Spolestra
11. Jaime Jaquez Jr.
12. Indiana Pacers
13. Bam Adebayo
14. Miami Heat fans
Tier 2: Net-Positive Outcome
15. NBA 2K
16. Ousmane Dieng
17. Adam Silver
18. The Western Conference
19. Kalshi
20. Damian Lillard
21. Ryan Rollins
22. Mariah
23. Jaylen Brown
24. Kasparas Jakučionis
25. Adrian Griffin
Tier 3: Mixed Feelings, but Overall Net-Neutral Outcome
26. Jon Horst
27. Myles Turner
28. The Eastern Conference
29. Khris Middleton
30. New York Knicks
31. Jimmy Haslam
32. Pat Riley
33. Taylor Jenkins
Tier 4: Net-Negative Outcome
34. Golden State Warriors
35. Doc Rivers
36. Kevin Porter Jr.
37. Minnesota Timberwolves
38. Cormac Ryan
39. Wes Edens
40. Micky Arison
41. Brayden Burries
42. Jayson Tatum
43. Taurean Prince
44. Kyle Kuzma
45. AJ Green
Tier 5: Lost the trade
46. Norman Powell
47. Thanasis Antetokounmpo
48. Boston Celtics
49. Milwaukee Bucks fans
50. Alex Antetokounmpo
Making some sense of the Giannis trade winner & loser rankings.
Everyone in Tier 1 gained something significant. From playing time to a fresh start, the opportunity to make more money, to bragging rights, an easier path to contention, better draft odds, or something in between, there was a lot to be gained.
The opposite can be said of those in Tier 5. There is far more to be lost than gained in this range. For the Antetokounmpo brothers, it means there's no certainty they'll land on another NBA roster, and for the Boston Celtics, their involvement in the Giannis trade saga may signal the end of the J's together in Bean Town. Coming off an All-Star campaign, the Miami Heat might not have enough money left over to pay Norman Powell, and for Bucks fans? You already know the heartbreak.
Ultimately, for most players on this past year's Bucks roster, it's a losing proposition. Many of them came to Milwaukee to play with Giannis or got to showcase the best of their talents when alongside him on the court. They banked on playing with the big fella in Milwaukee to get to their next big paydays.
For some of the team's young talent, however, a whole lot of touches just opened up. The Bucks, should they retain his services, will have plenty of opportunity for Ousmane Dieng, for example. to showcase what he's made of over the course of a full year.
The middle three tiers are a lot trickier, so I'll leave those up to you to decide whether I got them right or wrong. But while going through this exercise, one thing became abundantly clear: there is plenty to be excited about on both sides of this trade, even if it doesn't yet feel like it from the standpoints of Wisconsin sports fans.
Just wait until you're rooting for the young, fun team again. It can be a wonderful feeling.
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