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Giannis Antetokounmpo landing spots: Best trade partners for Bucks
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- Giannis Antetokounmpo landing spots: Best trade partners for Bucks
Now more than ever, it's a near inevitability that Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks are nearing the end of their relationship.
It may come before the Feb. 5 trading deadline, or it may come in the offseason, but Antetokounmpo has reportedly indicated that he's ready to move on from the Bucks. Milwaukee, understandably, has started to listen to offers and may consider shipping the two-time Most Valuable Player before the deadline.
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Yet, even if a deal cannot be reached by then, the Bucks could still move Antetokounmpo over the offseason, when suitors would have more financial flexibility and draft capital available to package in an offer.
With that said, which teams can actually present compelling cases to land the versatile star?
Here are potential landing spots for Giannis Antetokounmpo :
Miami Heat
This is going to depend on what the Bucks are actually prioritizing in a return, but no team may have a better case than the Heat. Miami has more depth than star power and has some younger players with promise who could be part of a Bucks rebuild.
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The centerpiece would be 2024-25 All-Star guard Tyler Herro (26 years old), who has had injury concerns, but who has been a steady scoring threat when on the floor. Second-year center Kel'el Ware (21) is another intriguing player who has excellent rebounding ability; Ware ranks sixth in the NBA in rebounds this season (420), despite at least 200 minutes fewer than the players ahead of him. Ware has had motor concerns, but he's an excellent lob threat and can stretch the floor with shooting range.
Miami can also offer one of Jaime Jaquez Jr. (24) or Nikola Jović (22) and some first-round draft picks. And, if Miami can move Andrew Wiggins in a trade to the Golden State Warriors , the Heat could potentially recoup another pick to package in an Antetokounmpo deal.
New York Knicks
This has reportedly been Antetokounmpo's preferred landing spot, given its market size, ability to compete for championships and proximity to international airports that can get him to his native Greece with relative ease.
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And while the Knicks do have some interesting assets that could entice the Bucks, it's going to depend on Milwaukee's preference. For one, the easy assumption is that forward-center Karl-Anthony Towns would be a seamless swap, but Milwaukee just signed center Myles Turner to a four-year, $107 million contract that keeps him with the Bucks through the 2027-28 season, with a player option for the following year.
Turner and Towns have similar skill sets, and Towns feels like a redundancy in Milwaukee. The Bucks are probably more intrigued by wings OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges , with whom New York might be less willing to part. The Knicks would almost certainly require the addition of a third or fourth team to facilitate the deal.
The Bucks reportedly prefer younger talent and draft capital, neither of which the Knicks necessarily have, at least right now. Towns is 30, Bridges 29, Anunoby 28. Backup point guard Miles McBride is 25, but he would need to be a secondary piece in any deal. For this to work, the Knicks would need to get creative in finding ways to sweeten their package.
Atlanta Hawks
This looks like another interesting spot because the Hawks do have a balance of both young talent and draft capital. For one, the Hawks already own a massively valuable draft pick, an unprotected 2026 first rounder that's the most favorable between the Pelicans and the Bucks. New Orleans currently has the NBA's third-worst winning percentage and the Bucks are 18-27. There's the high likelihood that this pick will be a high lottery selection.
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The Hawks may not want to part with that selection, but Atlanta nonetheless has plenty of draft capital and swaps it can offer.
The Bucks, though, may want to get talented forward Jalen Johnson in return. The Hawks have built their team around Johnson and may not make him available. That would complicate things, as Zaccharie Risacher , rookie Asa Newell and Luke Kennard likely won't be enough to sway Milwaukee.
Toronto Raptors
This is a team that has been a massive surprise and one that may be a sneaky contender in the East. Point guard Immanuel Quickley has shined recently, winning Eastern Conference Player of the Week Monday, Jan. 26. Guard RJ Barrett will also likely be available.
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That won't be enough. The Bucks will likely not consider any deal with Toronto unless it includes 2024 All-Star Scottie Barnes , who's 24. Brandon Ingram is a solid player who would otherwise be a decent asset, but he's 28 and not as versatile as Barnes.
But Toronto has viewed Barnes as the key franchise cornerstone, and ideally would love to pair him with Antetokounmpo. The Raptors will likely need to get creative to involve teams to strengthen their offer – assuming Barnes is untouchable.
Orlando Magic
Headed into the start of last season, Paolo Banchero was widely seen as one of the more promising, young players in the NBA. Given his recent struggles, that has changed somewhat, though he still holds significant promise.
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Banchero is 23 and was an All-Star two seasons ago, but his scoring has dipped considerably (21.6 points per game, down from 25.9 last season). The Magic have lost 14 of their last 24 games, and the franchise might feel that Franz Wagner , 24, is the player they want to build around.
The issue is that the Magic don't have much in the way of draft capital and younger players that could tempt Milwaukee. Put another way: the Bucks would have to really like Banchero for this to work.
The field
Could the Phoenix Suns be a player in a package led by Jalen Green , a dynamic but inconsistent athlete who has played just four games this year? Could the Golden State Warriors somehow leverage Jonathan Kuminga , Jimmy Butler (who recently tore his anterior cruciate ligament) and picks into a deal? Could the Dallas Mavericks send veterans like Anthony Davis and Klay Thompson to Milwaukee? What about a young team like the Washington Wizards , who have more young players than veterans?
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What about teams that are already contenders like the Houston Rockets or San Antonio Spurs ? Could they tear up their current (and successful) builds for a push to compete?
There's always the possibility of the infamous mystery team that could be lurking. The reality is, of the 29 teams in the NBA aside from the Bucks, all but one or two of them are probably discussing if there's a viable path to get him.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Giannis Antetokounmpo landing spots, Milwaukee Bucks trade partners
