Thoughts on Where Giannis Plays Next - Part 2
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With each passing day, and with it getting closer to the NBA draft, it looks more and more likely that Giannis Antentekoumpo is going to be traded. He wants out and has done everything short of asking to be traded. A while back I went through some teams that made sense to me. That has changed since then.
I know Giannis has some leverage, but so does Milwaukee. This is an interesting case of a star that has won it big with the team that drafted him, but has fallen on hard times as of late. The Bucks have tried to rebuild around him since they traded Jrue Holiday to the Celtics. Damian Lillard was never fully healthy, and the fit with him and Giannis wasn't great. I was on board with that trade at the time, but it never materialized in the way I hoped it would. They went out and signed Myles Turner last season, but his success seemed tied to Tyrese Haliburton more than anything else, and with the Bucks having no real point guard, his skillset never fully translated to the Bucks. The Bucks also let Brook Lopez walk so they could sign Turner, and he and Giannis were great buddies and running mates. They were the anchors of the defensive frontcourt for the Bucks. As expected, the Bucks limped to a rough season and during the year it looked like they were going to move Giannis. That never came, but now it seems inevitable. As I said though, both parties have leverage. Giannis won a title in Milwaukee. He also won many awards, including an MVP. He seemed to love the city from the moment he was drafted there, and they loved him back. He did it all with the Bucks, and if he wants to move on and try to win a title before retiring, he has that right. What more could Milwaukee want from him? But, the front office also signed him to an extension two years ago. He is, technically, still under contract with Milwaukee. They don't have to trade him if they don't get a deal to their liking. He has two years left, and in the end, the NBA is a business, and it is cutthroat. It would be awful if they wasted two more seasons for Giannis, but they can if they want.
In looking at who may be left in the Giannis sweepstakes, it looks like it is only the Heat and Celtics. These seem to be the only two teams with either the picks or young players, or both, that can trade for Giannis and are places he'd be happy to play for.
I understand why he wants to play for the Celtics. They are championship ready right now. They won a few years back, they overachieved without Jayson Tatum for most of the season and they have picks and one blue chip young player they may want to move. Jaylen Brown is awesome. He was in the MVP conversation for most of last season. He was an All NBA player. He is a wonderful defender. He can create his own shot. And he showed that he could lead a team as the number one option last season. I believe a team like the Bucks covet a player like Jaylen Brown if they decide to move on from Giannis. Brown would make the Bucks, at the very least, a play-in caliber team right away. The Celtics also have future picks they can trade. The problem, those picks may not be super valuable because the Celtics are going to be pretty good for a while longer. Also, the Celtics may need a third team to get this deal done. They may have to add some other team that can add more, and better picks to the deal. And that may end up with Brown going somewhere else. The Bucks may have to just settle for a ton of picks. They may like that, they may not. But it seems unlikely that the Celtics would pull the trigger on trading Brown after he proved he can lead a team and still play quality defense. The future picks may be too much for Brad Stevens to swallow as well.
The Heat seem like the most likely landing spot for Giannis. They have the picks and the young guys to get it done. The only question is, will the Heat be willing to give up some of the younger talent to get Giannis. If the Heat are serious, and they want to do it, they are going to have to part ways with one of either Nikola Jovic, Jaime Jaquez Jr or Ke'el Ware. They are also going to have to give up their first round pick this season and Tyler Herro. I think the Tyler Herro of it all is not a big deal to the Heat. He may be a good offensive player, but he is a sieve on defense and he has become oft injured. I think the Bucks would welcome him because he is from Milwaukee and he would be the number one offensive option. But the Bucks would want the first round pick, to keep their own first round pick, and one of the young guys I mentioned before. Nikola Jovic is raw, but has potential. He would get to play a ton, but it would be frustrating to watch him play. Jaime Jacquez Jr is a solid bench player, but a higher usage rate may be tough for him to handle. I'm sure he would welcome it, but that also comes with expectations. He may not be ready for that. The most ideal, and best fit for the Bucks, in my opinion, is Ke'el Ware. He has proven that he is a solid number 5 in the NBA. He can score in the post, and has shown that he is capable of stretching the floor. He is a good defensive player and a solid rebounder. I think he would end up being the best asset in this possible deal and he could flourish with the Bucks.
I think the only team that can trade for Giannis, that would make the most sense, that would make him happy is the Heat. He and Bam Adebayo would be awesome. They could keep Norm Powell and let him create and score. They have the young kid from Illinois that showed flashes. They would be able to keep Jacquez and Jovic and let them stay in their current roles, which fit them best. I think the Heat will get it done and do it before the draft. That is what I see happening in the long run.
Ty
Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.