Now that the news has broken that a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade from the Milwaukee Bucks could happen over the summer, it will likely be the number one NBA storyline until something happens, if anything at all. The speculation, hypotheticals, and trade scenarios (and destinations) have already begun to make their rounds. The morning debate shows and drive home podcasts covered the story on Monday. Giannis will dominate the headlines for the foreseeable future. It will even take precedent over the Dallas Mavericks miraculously securing the top draft pick for the 2025-26 season. Where Giannis goes, if he asks for a trade, will overshadow much else this NBA offseason offers. There are a handful of teams likely to be possible trade destinations. In the West, two teams stand out from the rest regarding their available roster pieces and draft assets.
Two West Teams Have Assets For Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade
San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets have all the right assets for a Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade, per NBA insider
ESPN’s Shams Charania broke the news on Monday that Giannis was open-minded about changing his future trajectory in pursuit of more rings. Charania’s network colleague, Brian Windhorst, chimed in on Monday morning’s Get Up [3:30 mark] and offered his take that the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets are best positioned to trade for the Bucks superstar, considering what they have available to send the other way.
“Two things you have to know about the Bucks when you consider a trade. The Bucks do not control their first-round pick for five years. That means if the Bucks are gonna trade him, thinking that they’re going to tank for the next three years and rebuild, not gonna happen. They need quality players (in return). And the other thing that you need to know is, if you’re gonna trade Giannis to a team that’s going to be a super team, getting that team’s draft assets is not exciting because they’re not going to be very high picks for the next few years. So you’re going to look at teams that have players to trade and other teams’ draft assets that they can trade beside theirs. San Antonio and Houston! San Antonio and Houston! San Antonio and Houston, pay attention there.”
Of the higher-profile teams many will link Giannis to, the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, and Miami Heat will be among them. However, that doesn’t mean they have enough in their bag to offer the other way. Windhorst believes the Spurs and Rockets—two rising franchises—have it all. However, it would mean each team sacrificing a current key piece on their roster, plus more.
Who could be sacrificed
It’s hard to imagine Milwaukee not asking for Alperen Şengün in return for the Rockets. Şengün is a rising star in the league and part of the young core that took a significant jump this season. If Houston decided to break up their young core for Giannis, Şengün is likely involved. Other players like Jabari Smith Jr. or rookie Reed Sheppardcould also be involved in making the money work.
For the Spurs, trading for Giannis likely means giving up Stephon Castle, who just won the 2024-25 Rookie of the Year award. Youth is key here, as Milwaukee will want to get younger in this trade. Like Houston, San Antonio will have to sacrifice youth, and Castle is that. Players like Keldon Johnson and Harrison Barnes could join Castle to round out the trade.
These are just the players who could be involved. Draft picks would be lumped in the mix as well. Trading for Giannis will be demanding. That said, no doubt it could also be championship-altering for the franchise that lands him. Of course, all this is purely hypothetical and speculative—Giannis could remain a Buck forever.
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