Bucks GM Taking Aggressive Stance in Giannis Trade Talks—What It Means for the Nets

On the heels of the shocking mid-season Luka Doncic swap—one that only cost the Los Angeles Lakers one first-round pick—the Milwaukee Bucks seem primed to reset the trade value of superstar players on the open market.

The Brooklyn Nets' confirmed interest in Giannis Antetokounmpo dates as far back as November, but after the "Greek Freak" posted a monster season in which he averaged 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game, Bucks management isn't willing to deal him without an ample return package.

In fact, Milwaukee GM Jon Horst is looking to completely tear down whatever franchise ends up landing the two-time MVP.

"Like, they want every scenario to gut the other team. And Jon Horst is going to go for blood here, I’m telling you. He just got a new extension. He has the organization’s backing. Jon is not going to just try to be on good terms with Giannis—he’s trying to do right by the Bucks," Sam Amick said on the Ringer NBA podcast. "And that means that if every scenario in play leaves the other team so gutted that Giannis might not actually be in that much better of a situation, then maybe that’s where he looks at the room and says, 'All right, let me stay put.'"

Brooklyn definitely has the future assets to make an Antetokounmpo deal possible, but if Milwaukee asks for draft capital on top of the team's young core, the chase no longer makes much sense. Why destroy your entire roster for one player when said player's interest in your team hinges partly on your roster?

Now, many have speculating this will be a huge offseason for the Nets—hence the Antetokounmpo rumor. Maybe rebuilding Jordi Fernandez's rotation from the ground up around Antetokounmpo factors into the "busy summer." But if that is the case, Antetokounmpo would be in no better situation than he is now—all he'd be accomplishing is a change of scenery.

Thanks to the Lakers' deal, executives around the league now know top players can be had for as little as one first-rounder and a star player. It seems unlikely Horst gets his desire, but in today's modern landscape, truly anything can happen.