Tim Bontemps expands pool of Bucks’ offseason Giannis suitors to 'whole league' after inactive deadline

He expects frontrunners like the Knicks, Heat, Timberwolves, and Warriors to remain involved, but he also anticipates competition. It’s worth noting that every team, not just those four, will gain access to a 2033 first-round pick, plus the draft rights to their 2026 first-round pick if they are currently forbidden from trading it. That means that a team like Minnesota, which has only one tradeable first-rounder right now, could present a more appealing offer a few months from now.

Bontemps notes that the aforementioned quartet did not burn assets this deadline that would compromise their future pursuit of Giannis (the Warriors flipped Kuminga to Atlanta, but the Bucks weren’t interested in him away). That said, unexpected adversaries could join the sweepstakes out of nowhere. 

“[P]ay attention to the [Anthony] Davis and [Jaren]Jackson deals this week — no one had either the Wizards or the Jazz in the mix to land a star this week, and yet both did.” Washington traded five picks, including two firsts, to Dallas for Davis. Utah gave Memphis three first-rounders and last year’s 18th overall pick, Walter Clayton Jr., for Jackson. 

Bontemps also references the stunning Donovan Mitchell blockbuster between Utah and Cleveland years ago, as well as Utah’s deal with Minnesota involving Rudy Gobert. And, of course, although it’s something of an outlier, the Luka Doncic madness of 12 months ago.

“Mitchell is another example of a prior star trade that came out of nowhere when he was dealt to the Cavaliers, or when Rudy Gobert went to the Timberwolves — or the Doncic trade to the Lakers last year.”

This isn’t a prediction that the Brooklyn Nets will land Giannis in July. The basic principle is simply to keep eyes peeled and ears open when it comes to a player of Antetokounmpo’s caliber. Teams that have the assets to do a deal could make them suddenly available, even if adding Giannis requires sacrificing a prized prospect or doesn’t perfectly match their perceived “timeline” or rebuild window.

“So when a player like Giannis becomes available,” Bontemps cautions, “expect most, if not all, teams to take a look — particularly when they have the summer to remake their roster around one of the game’s biggest stars.”