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The toothpaste is out of the tube. After vehemently denying any trade request rumors for years, Giannis Antetokounmpo has cautiously cracked the door open that his long-term future might not be with the Milwaukee Bucks.
For the last handful of summers, we’ve heard about Antetokounmpo’s possible exit from the NBA franchise he helped bring a championship to in 2021. Since then, they’ve only won one playoff series and sit at three straight Round 1 exits in the playoffs.
As the Bucks mortgaged their future with Myles Turner in the daring move to stretch and waive Damian Lillard following his torn Achilles, the rest of Milwaukee’s roster aspires little hope. The third-best player is — checks notes — Kyle Kuzma, maybe? Bobby Portis Jr. on his best days?
A few days ago, ESPN’s Shams Charania added more certainty to Antetokounmpo’s Bucks uncertainty. He reported that the New York Knicks could be the frontrunner in the superstar sweepstakes if and when he eventually asks out. When asked about the report, the two-time MVP didn’t necessarily deny it.
The writing on the wall is clear and written in Sharpies. Sooner or later, Antetokounmpo will likely ask out. The Bucks don’t have the roster to contend with the 30-year-old. The natural next step is to start over, no matter how badly they want to avoid that inevitably.
The next question is who should chase after Antetokounmpo? Surely every team will at least hold a conversation about it. That includes the Oklahoma City Thunder. The reigning NBA champion had one of the greatest seasons ever with a historic 68-14 record and a Larry O’Brien trophy.
The Thunder spent the offseason signing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren to contract extensions that’ll keep them in OKC through the rest of the 2020s. In a hypothetical Antetokounmpo trade, they’d likely need to give up at least one of those players.
Is that something the Thunder are willing to stomach? According to SI’s Chris Mannix, the answer is a resounding no. He reported that he was ‘explicitly told’ they had zero interest in making the risky move to pair two of the four best players together.
Any trade with Antetokounmpo would require a promise to sign a new contract extension with his new team. He has three years, $175.4 million remaining on his current deal. That includes a $62.8 million player option in the 2027-28 season when he’s 33 years old.
The Thunder have even less incentive to make that seismic move. They’re viewed as the title favorite this upcoming season. They had one of the most dominating campaigns ever. And with the three best players of that roster still young and staying together for the foreseeable future, no point in risking that.
It will be interesting to watch where Antetokounmpo goes if he is eventually traded. If he lands on a Western Conference team, that could change the long-term dynamics of who could challenge OKC for the next handful og years.
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