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Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks continues to be the lead dog in the NBA trade rumor race,.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are not expected to make a massive trade for a star of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s quality, but that isn’t stopping other teams from fearing it. Odds makers made Oklahoma City a strong favorite to repeat as NBA Champions. Unfortunately for the Thunder, they fell to the San Antonio Spurs and proved they were not ready to be a dynasty.
The Athletic reported that teams think Oklahoma City could check in on Giannis and other names due to the elimination:
“While the Thunder have not been expected to pursue Antetokounmpo, the specifics of their failed title defense against San Antonio in the Western Conference finals were enough to make rival teams wonder whether that stance might change.
Not only did Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama pose the kinds of problems that Antetokounmpo is uniquely positioned to help solve, but the series-long struggles of Thunder big man Chet Holmgren served as (even more) evidence that he isn’t the best man for that job.”
The article claims that most reports about the Thunder standing pat come from how they viewed the team before the loss. New flaws emerging could warrant putting together an appeasing package to get one of the best players in the league on an already deep contending roster.
Why OKC Thunder Should Trade For Giannis
A plethora of young players on cheap contracts, All-Star players under big contracts, and future draft picks of other teams give the Thunder enough to trade for anyone. Opposing teams could get a new face of the franchise, multiple young prospects, and picks from Oklahoma City.
The Milwaukee Bucks would likely prefer a Thunder trade package since it gives them a chance to rebuild faster. Either Chet Holmgren or Jalen Williams provides the big salary to give the Bucks a new face of the franchise still at a young age.
Role players like Ajay Mitchell, Cason Wallace, and a few other options could sweeten the temptation to add multiple new starters for Milwaukee. The draft picks are arguably most important since the Bucks lack future draft assets after some of their trades failed. Oklahoma City has enough assets to get close in trades with almost any superstar available.
Why OKC Thunder Might Avoid This Trade
The original report after the elimination stated that the Thunder are likely to avoid making any massive moves. Sometimes a franchise messing with success via making changes too early will cause a team to ruin their chances of a great long-term future.
Oklahoma City has been the best Western Conference team in the regular season for three consecutive seasons. Multiple injuries also impacted this postseason run due to Williams dealing with health issues all season and Mitchell missing the most important Western Conference Finals games.
The smart move would be to make minimal changes and ride out the next season with this core backing up two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Another season of disappointment or even a slow start could present the right time to go after a big name. However, Giannis is likely getting traded this summer to make his availability not likely unless they pull the trigger now.
Joey Haverford Joey Haverford is a seasoned sports content writer with over 12 years of experience. He has covered the NBA, WNBA, MLB, NFL, and professional wrestling in the sports industry. More about Joey Haverford