If Giannis Antetokounmpo asks a trade from the Milwaukee Bucks this summer, The Athletic’s David Aldridge has a wacky trade proposal involving the Bucks, New Orleans Pelicans, and San Antonio Spurs.
Here’s the three-team trade idea Aldridge suggested:
Bucks acquire: Zion Williamson, Keldon Johnson. 2025 first-round pick (via Hawks), 2027 first-round pick swap rights (Pelicans), and 2029 first-round pick (Spurs).
Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan, Pat Connaughton, and a first-round selection in 2027 are acquired by the Pelicans from the Spurs via the Hawks.
Spurs acquire: Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Antetokounmpo and Williamson are the standouts in this transaction. Milwaukee has won only one playoffs series since winning the championship in 2021, and Williamson has not played in a playoff game against New Orleans.
Antetokounmpo, a future Hall of Famer, averaged 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 0.9 steals, and 1.2 blocks for the Bucks this season. He’ll earn $54.1 million next season.
“If the Bucks have no choice but to trade Giannis, they make a multi-team deal that gets them a potential superstar to build around in the still-just-24-year-old Williamson and a rotational wing in Johnson,” Aldridge wrote. “Most importantly, they get a whole lot of future firsts to give them a chance to rebuild if Williamson can’t overcome his history of injuries, including a ’25 pick at the back of the lottery, and potential control of their own first back in ’27, just as Williamson is entering the last year of his current deal.”
Antetokounmpo has played his whole career with the Bucks. He is a two-time MVP, one-time Finals MVP, one-time Defensive Player of the Year, and nine-time All-Star, with career averages of 23.9 points, 9.9 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.2 blocks.
Williamson has appeared in only 45% of his probable games for the Pelicans since being selected first overall in the 2019 NBA Draft. The two-time All-Star’s career averages are 24.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.6 blocks.
Leave a Reply