Ranking Bucks Potential Trade Partners in Possible Giannis Antetokounmpo Deal

The Milwaukee Bucks are in a tough position with Giannis Antetokounmpo. After Damian Lillard suffered a brutal Achilles injury and will likely miss all of next season, trading Antetokounmpo seems like more of a possibility than ever before.

Even if the Bucks feel obligated to trade him, especially in a trade request scenario, it is far from that simple. As arguably the best player in the league, Antetokounmpo needs to be traded away for a huge haul. That makes certain teams much better options than others.

With that being said, here is a ranking of the best potential trade partners for the Bucks in an Antetokounmpo trade.

4. Dallas Mavericks

After obtaining the number one pick in the NBA draft, suddenly the Mavericks seem like a potential suitor for Antetokounmpo. The Bucks would be getting a guaranteed player back as part of their recouped draft haul, which has to be somewhat enticing for the Bucks.

However, the rest of the trade package doesn't quite meet the likely expectations of Jon Horst, making the other teams on this list more enticing. If the Mavericks were to pull off a trade for Giannis, it would likely include all of the draft picks they can muster up, and any depth pieces they can include for salary purposes.

It would be interesting for sure for both sides, but is unlikely to happen.

3. San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs would be interesting in the sense of it would pair Antetokounmpo and Victor Wembanyama up in the front court. That would be a scary pairing for the rest of the league.

The Spurs also have lots of draft picks and a decent package of young players to spare, including Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, and Rookie-of-the-Year Stephon Castle.

The package is certainly an enticing one for a trade involving a superstar, but it might not be enough for arguably the best player in the league, and it isn't quite as enticing a landing spot for Giannis after Gregg Popovich retired.

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2. Houston Rockets

The Rockets have a relatively similar package to the Spurs, but they have arguably better young players to give up. The current Rockets roster is already playoff proven after pushing the experienced Golden State Warriors to seven games, and that is with a young roster.

Alperun Sengun, Jalen Green, and Jabari Smith Jr. are all intriguing prospects, and the team would be less scary with the addition of Antetokounmpo than the Spurs would be, so it might be more worth dealing with the Rockets than the Spurs based on that alone.

A trade with the Rockets would likely come down to how much of their roster are they willing to gut in order to make this trade happen.

1. Oklahoma City Thunder

If the Bucks simply want a million draft picks for Antetokounmpo, than the Thunder are the best trade partner. If they want a combination of young players and picks, the Thunder are proably still the best trade partner.

The Thunder have been building their team to compete and also be in position to make a trade for a player like Antetokounmpo. That makes them the best trade partner for the Bucks, as long as they don't mind adding a superstar to an already juggernaut of a roster.

The biggest holdup would likely be how willing the Thunder would be to give up Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams.

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