If the Milwaukee Bucks decide to trade away Giannis Antetokounmpo after a disappointing playoff showing, the San Antonio Spurs could be in the mix.
The Milwaukee Bucks’ season is not over yet, but starting down a 2-0 deficit against the Indiana Pacers, it’s hard to imagine them roaring back to win the series.
If the Bucks lose, it’s been floated that franchise icon Giannis Antetokounmpo will demand a trade, as three first-round exits in a row don’t exactly bode well for his future title aspirations. If he does ask out, it’s hard to blame him, as he’s stuck with the Bucks through five head coaches and a changing supporting cast.
If the Bucks shop their star, only a handful of teams have the assets to add him, and the San Antonio Spurs could drive a hard bargain.
The Spurs seem comfortable building around De’Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama, who is poised to take over as one of the faces of the league once he returns from his blood clot recovery. While the Spurs already have a generational big man, both Wembanyama and Antetokounmpo offer versatility rarely seen by forwards and centers.
“What about this trade: Stephon Castle, Keldon Johnson, Harrison Barnes, and all the picks in the world, ’cause the Spurs have Atlanta’s first [2027], Chicago’s first [2027], a Boston first [2028], a Dallas first [2030], which is valuable, a Minnesota first [2030],” offered Nick Wright. “And then you get Giannis and Wemby together, and you still have De’Aaron Fox, and it still works under the cap.”
The Spurs, when they added Fox, made it clear that they did not want to part ways with Castle, although Antetokounmpo is a much better player than Fox ever has been, so the bidding would certainly go up.
“Castle is the Rookie of the Year, you have all the first-round picks, and you’re starting over in Milwaukee with a real bounty,” Wright explained.
The Spurs would be able to keep their own picks, which, with a core of Antetokounmpo, Wembanyama, and Fox, would lose value, since the Spurs would be “awesome,” according to Wright.
Neither Wembanyama, Fox, nor Antetokounmpo is lethal from deep. Wembanyama improved to a 35% shooter this season, although that’s not elite in NBA circles, so the Spurs would have to surround their core with shooters.
In Wright’s proposed trade, the Spurs lose their best shooter, Harrison Barnes, but keep Devin Vassell (36.8% this season) and Julian Champagnie (37.1%). On top of that, they have two lottery picks in this year’s draft and might be able to hold onto one, adding another wing, like Kon Knueppel, to the rotation.
On defense, the Spurs would be impossible to score against. On offense, the fit would be questionable, but the possibilities are hard not to drool over.
Wembanyama and Antetokounmpo can clog the lane, preventing any drives, and both of them can guard on the perimeter. Fox and Vassell are solid defenders as well, and Jeremy Sochan would come off the bench.
Antetokounmpo has expanded his playmaking this season, averaging a career-high 6.5 assists per game. With Wembanyama ranging all over the court and shooters in the corner, that number would only go up.
Only two things stand in the Spurs’ way: their own desire to go all-in on a player whose fit is questionable, and the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have been stockpiling picks for years in an effort to cash in on a star.
While Antetokounmpo’s fit with the Spurs would likely be solid, adding him next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren would be even better, and the Thunder can offer an equal trade package to the Spurs.
