The quakes from the Milwaukee Bucks’ elimination at the hands of the Indiana Pacers are being felt in the form of a potential Giannis Antetokounmpo but what if they land James Harden 2.0 in the deal?
That’s the enticing question NBA analyst Chris Mannix has put forward to the Milwaukee Bucks, who are reeling from their first-round exit.
The Bucks barely laid a glove on the Pacers in the 4-1 elimination and the focus is firmly turned to a pivotal off-season that can make or break the team.
Giannis Antetokounmpo will want a title-contending roster around him and Damian Lillard’s injury makes that path even more brutal.
The Bucks also have the option to blow it all up and reset by trading Antetokounmpo, and if it nets them James Harden 2.0 in the process, it might soften the blow.
Antetokounmpo put up a herculean effort in the 4-1 series loss and their one championship in his era with the Bucks had him front and center of it all.
Therefore, for the Bucks to get bounced out like this at the hands of a resurgent Pacers side leaves the management facing uncomfortable questions.
The major one is potentially trading Antetokounmpo since their ability to improve the roster around him has been vastly hamstrung due to Lillard’s injury.
NBA analyst Chris Mannix has urged the Bucks to spark a bidding war between two young and exciting teams for Antetokounmpo’s services, something that could see them land James Harden 2.0.
Mannix said: “A long way to go in that series. But if they bow out in the second round for the second year in a row. They may start to get a little bit desperate because Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is young, but he’s not that young.
“Lou Dort is young, but he’s not that young. They’re not a bunch of 21-year-olds that have a long, long, long runway. They’re a team with its star in his prime, coming off a proper MVP season. They are a team that could make a huge offer.
“And if I’m Milwaukee, and I can choose between offers of Jalen Green [on the Rockets] and a bunch of good draft picks, and maybe all the draft picks that Oklahoma City has to offer, and Jalen Williams, who I think could be James Harden 2.0 like, I think if you give Jalen Williams room to blossom, he could be a superstar in this league.
“I think he has that much talent, if you have an opportunity to pick two teams against each other in a bidding war for your star to get the rebuilding package of those other teams I mentioned got, I think it’s malpractice, not to not to aggressively go out there and do it.”
Mannix’s hypothetical trade scenario sums up the fact that the Oklahoma City Thunder effectively have the fate of the NBA wrapped around their fingers.
They are in an enviable position of having bonafide superstars with championship ceilings in addition to a horde of draft picks.
Executive of the Year winner Sam Presti has done a remarkable job and the result is that the Thunder can wait and see if their current roster is enough to go all the way, or pivot for a star and improve it even further.
That’s where Jalen Williams comes in, the Shooting Guard/Power Forward who has shown flashes of superstardom but might need a team of his own to unlock another level of his game.
Considering Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren untouchable, Jalen Williams is the Thunder’s best trade asset to attach to their picks, an offer that will blow out most from rival teams.
If the Bucks are even contemplating hitting the reset button on the current roster, inviting the Thunder to the table is a no-brainer and Williams, “Harden 2.0”, will be at the center of those discussions.
