Giannis situation is both ‘simple’ and ‘complex’
Numbers on the Board explains why Giannis Antetokounmpo's situation with the Milwaukee Bucks is both simple and complex while discussing why it finally makes sense for both sides to part ways.
Video Transcript
We got another piece of news surrounding Giannis.
Two-time MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, is ready for a new home in February 5th NBA trade deadline or in the off-season, as several rival teams make aggressive offers to the Milwaukee Bucks for him, and the franchise is starting to listen.
That is, of course, from Shams Charania early yesterday morning.
How we feeling, boys?
It's like the, it's like the third or fourth tweet similar to this- Yeah.
Right?
Where he was thinking about his options.
Mm-hmm.
He may have had conversations with the team about going to the Knicks, and now, it- this is not official, right?
'Cause it didn't say he re- requested a trade, but it seems more official now than any time.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, I take this as I take this as official, especially reading the article and, and seeing Shams say that he told the Bucks a couple months ago that they probably should split ways.
Yeah, I mean, they He said he was giving them a 25-game window.
They obviously have exceeded that.
So, and they are what's sitting at the 11th seed, and there's seems like there's no daylight of them even getting into the playoffs.
Mm-hmm.
So yeah, I could definitely see it.
I definitely think that Giannis probably said, "I think it's time that we started exploring o- our options and seeing, what's best available for us, both as, partners here."
'Cause I don't think Giannis wants to leave the Bucks hanging high and dry.
I think he loves that city.
he means everything to that city, and that city means everything to him.
And so I think he's gonna try to do his best to make sure he's good and also that the Bucks are good.
Mm-hmm.
Now, that I disagree with.
I think Giannis' full attention is on making sure he does good.
I don't think Giannis cares anywhere about, "Hey, man, don't trade me to the Knicks.
Their package ain't good enough for Milwaukee."
Yeah, I don't think that's how it go.
Yeah, I don't think that's how it's going at all.
I think it's like: "Hey, if you can get me to the Knicks, you can get me to Golden State- Mm-hmm ... you can get me to Miami."
Or even south Toronto.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And Toronto was always- I think- ... my sleeper team, but then they said that Scottie and Ingram are off the board, and I think you would have to include Quickly, and that becomes a mess, so- Mm-hmm.
Apparently, Karl-Anthony Towns, from Sam Amick, is frustrated with the Knicks, due to his feelings towards the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors.
Well, good luck, buddy.
Like, that's part of being in the NBA.
That's part of making $50 million, you know?
Mm-hmm.
You, you might be in a rumor or two.
Yeah.
It's cool.
It wouldn't be his first time- Yeah ... right?
I think deep down- ... and this is why it's like the Giannis situation is simple and complex at the same time.
The simple part is he just wants to compete, team's not good enough.
The complex part about it is I, I truly think deep down he doesn't wanna leave.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Like, he's built his legacy there.
He's built communities there.
Like, he, it, it's a big part of what he's built is in that, in that city, so I don't think he wants to leave.
But again, like I said, the team is just not good.
The only time they even look somewhat good and is when he's on the floor, and we've kind of seen that the injuries have They've taken a toll on Giannis.
He hasn't been always there.
So I think that the- it's really how much time does he have to How much time left does he have at a best-in-the-world, All-NBA-type level?
Mm-hmm.
I don't know if he's willing to wait those two, three years- ... to kind of for the, the Bucks to rebuild, or maybe it's two years to rebuild.
You might as well capitalize on what you got right now.
One thing I can give the Bucks credit for is they've always tried with Giannis.
Like, in the report, Shams mentioned that before the season started, Jon Horst and the Bucks went to Giannis and tried to say, "Hey, man, maybe we should take a gap year."
Yeah.
"Just, just let us be bad.
Let us do this," and Giannis was like, "No, I don't want to."
And they said, "Fine, we'll stretch Damian Lillard's contract and go get Myles Turner- ... even though we all know that that's not gonna get us no championship.
If you don't want a gap year, we'll try to make the team better today than it was yesterday," and I can commend them for that.
But I said last week on Small Ball that this was the first time where I looked at both situations and said, "This, it makes sense on both sides to finally part ways."
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
You know, from the Bucks not being able to put Giannis in a position to win a championship on his side, and then also from the, from the Bucks' side.
Giannis, like you mentioned, is not getting no younger.
I think obviously he's still gonna warrant all of the picks and all the young players and stuff, but if you wait it two more years, then obviously things go a little bit differently.
there are so many great old players in the NBA, from the LeBrons, the Currys, the KDs, the Hardens, and so on.
I don't, I don't know per- nobody knows if Giannis is cut from that same cloth where his game will translate till he's 37 years old, so this might be the perfect time to trade Giannis if you're the Bucks.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, I agree.
I also think that I'm excited to see Giannis somewhere else, 'cause like I, I It was just kind of frustrating watching him try to drag that Bucks team, and I, and it's just- ... it's hard to do that now in this league, where one person can just drag a team, to being one of the best teams in the league.
It's kind of hard, man.
Mm-hmm.
Watching him do that and try to do it on a consistent basis, it's kind of frustrating, 'cause like if he's having an off night and he's on the court, the whole team just kind of stinks.
Yeah, this team is a lot, like, worse than I think we even give credit to.
I think they are bottom 10 in, like, offensive efficiency and defense efficiency, and in that group is them and, like, five other team.
Yeah.
And it's like the Wizards, the Pacers, all Like, the worst teams in the NBA, they're at the bottom with them.
Yeah.
And when you take that into consideration, when he has played this year, they're 15 and 15.
Just like, just not, not a good team at all.
and I'm curious to see how this plays out.
You know, Mike said that he feels like Giannis wants to go to a new team but doesn't wanna leave Milwaukee.
I think Giannis wants to leave Milwaukee, I just think he wants to do it in a certain fashion.
Because some of the other guys that left, it didn't always look so pretty.
Mm-hmm.
KD left, Bron left.
So I think that he, he don't wanna just abruptly leave, and I, I give him credit for trying, because, I mean, after the Dame situation, you can make an argument he could have just dipped in.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
He gave them a chance, he tried, and now we're here.
My biggest thing is, is it gonna happen now?
Sure.
Because the Bucks have said that they're, they're not gonna rush this.
They want that, that blue-chip, young player- Mm-hmm ... they want those picks, and if they need to, they, they feel con- confident taking it into the off-season.
But then on the flip side for me, - is the market, once you do that, it ain't that it's gonna evaporate and disappear, but now Giannis is on his last year of his deal.
Now, he played the full year with the Bucks.
Did he- does he come back to the Bucks?
Does his calf injury take him out the rest of the year?
Mm-hmm.
Teams now have, you know, to look at Giannis and his health and, and all of that that comes with it, and I wonder if that could damage the package versus now.
Now, it's like, it's abrupt, everybody's gonna be thirsty.
The trade deadline has been on pause, but at the same time, you don't wanna rush it.
But I feel like, man, if you do that now- Mm-hmm ... you don't give teams time to kinda think it through almost.
Yeah.
See, I feel the opposite.
I, I feel the opposite 'cause I- based on now, I just don't know how many teams can provide you with what you're looking for, right?
Between them, them saying that they will potentially want young players and draft assets, but also recognize that Giannis is making what, 52 mil- Yeah ... something like $48 to $52 million.
You also need to, not I would use the word gut, but use some significant salary to trade for.
Yeah.
Right?
So I just, I feel like it makes more sense that it happens in the off-season- ... because I think teams will be more thirsty then- But at the- ... 'cause we do have an opportunity to do that.
I'm on, I'm on the side of they'd be thirsty to get the, the deal before the trade deadline because he is that much of a player where he could, he could make a team that's middle of the pack into an immediate contender.
But what, what would be that team that can provide what they're asking?
The Warriors.
W- what young player are we to Kyrie Irving?
They just, they just got all of their picks, though.
There's not- The post-Steph picks.
Let's, let's, let's- Post-Steph Curry picks, I definitely see that being valuable.
Let's just be honest.
Let's just be honest.
Based off what they're asking, name me five teams that have what they even asking for outright.
Yeah.
The Houston Rockets have it.
Yeah.
Are the Houston Rockets giving it up?
'Cause all reports say that they won't be interested.
I think that's why, I think that's why you wait till the off- Yeah.
I mean, if they look like that they did last night in the post-season, I'm sure they would maybe panic a little bit more.
Yeah.
Right?
To the point where they're giving up Amen Thompson or Sengun?
Or Sengun, yeah.
I think it's poss- I'm not saying out- Yeah ... it's gonna happen, but I think it's possible if you have a 37-year-old KD, and you don't hit the heights that you wanna hit, like, "Man, we could use the third-best player, the second-best player in the world now."
Even we just saw how Amen Thompson was guarding in that fourth quarter.
That might be a liability.
Now, we pushed our timeline a little bit more, and now we want both of you.
And I'm not saying it's the right thought process- Yeah ... but it's a process that, a conversation that might happen.
I mean, the most intriguing team, I know the Spurs removed their head, their hat, their, their hat from the whatever, um- Mm-hmm.
From the pool, I guess, I don't know.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
And so they were the most intriguing team.
But I mean, the Knicks being a team, I mean, they can get it done quickly, like with the Karl-Anthony Towns contract.
But also, they don't have the young talent that I think would be intriguing, unless they view Karl-Anthony Towns as like a flippable piece.
Mm-hmm.
Like, "Y'all give us access to, and then we get Kat, and then we flip Kat again, and then boom."
It's kinda- Yeah ... and you get a bunch of assets.
One of the mock trades I saw that gave them Kat and McHale.
So yeah.
So I guess you would sell them on being able to just flip those guys- Flip those two ... at some point.
Yeah.
but yeah, I, I mean, I'm anticipating this being able to go e- either/or.
Mm-hmm.
But again, if Giannis misses the rest of the year with a calf injury, he comes back, and you, you bring him in, and he also is gonna be able to dictate where he wants to go to because he's on the last year of his deal.
Yeah.
So I kn- I don't think waiting is gonna, add 12 teams to the mix.
If I'm just being I don't think there's gonna be like a 12-team race, whether you do it now or later.
I don't think you should rush, but I think the idea of like the summer home comes, and it's like six more teams added, I don't, I don't think it's gonna be winning it all.
But there also is a world where some teams could call you, and they offer you a package- Mm-hmm ... and it's like, it's decent, but then you be like, "Bababa, we're just gonna wait through off-season," and those teams flame out, and then they- Sure ... give you more assets.
Or the opposite, they just pull their, their offer off the table.
Yeah.
Yeah, or the Rockets do better than they expect.
Yeah.
The Spurs double down on not- Mm-hmm ... wanting to put their hat in.
It's all, it's all a gamble.
Here's something I'm gonna leave y'all with before we go into our next break.
If the Cavs flame out, would you trade Evan Mobley to pair Donovan Mitchell with Giannis?
Just think about that for a second.
No.
And maybe, well- I'm in the Central Division.
I'm not trading with my rival.
He, well, he thought about it for exactly a second.
