Nets offseason Giannis Antetokounmpo trade proposal with Bucks' future unclear

04/01/2025 04:20 PM

Giannis Antetokounmpo, one of the best players in the NBA, has long been rumored as a player who could one day request a trade out of the Milwaukee Bucks organization. That day has yet to come, but it may be more likely than ever this upcoming offseason. Antetokounmpo’s pairing with Damian Lillard hasn’t been as impressive as expected, and now the star point guard is dealing with a blood clotting issue that clouds his future.

The Bucks have lost in the first round of the playoffs in each of the previous two seasons. Another postseason disappointment could force the Greek Freak to finally jump ship. If that happens, then the Brooklyn Nets have signaled that a trade for Antetokounmpo is their 1A plan. The Nets have tons of cap space and tradable assets, so what could an Antetokounmpo to Brooklyn trade look like?

Nets trade proposal for Giannis Antetokounmpo

Nets receive: Giannis Antetokounmpo, AJ Green

Bucks receive: Nic Claxton, Cam Johnson, four first-round picks

It is unclear whether or not Antetokounmpo will ever request a trade out of Milwaukee. So far, he has been nothing but loyal to the Bucks. There have always been hints that the nine-time All-Star would be interested in a trade, though, and the Bucks have been unable to put a championship-caliber roster around the former two-time MVP since he led them to NBA Finals glory in 2021.

If Antetokounmpo wants a new home, he’d certainly want to go to a contender. However, the Bucks are going to want a massive trade return, and the Nets could offer a bigger haul than almost any team in the league. The team has 13 tradable first-round picks. It would likely take at least four of those to land Antetokounmpo.

The team is stocked with draft capital because of their blockbuster trades during the 2024 offseason. The team received a massive package of picks for Mikal Bridges, and they also made a trade with the Houston Rockets for a ton of draft capital. Four firsts might seem like a lot, especially considering Nic Claxton and Cam Johnson are involved in this trade as well, but the Nets actually got five first-rounders and a swap option in their trade with the New York Knicks. Antetokounmpo is clearly better and more valuable than Bridges.

Claxton and Johnson’s departures would leave the Nets with almost no depth. They’d have plenty of cap space to build a team around Antetokounmpo, though. The addition of AJ Green in the deal helps because he provides spacing and shooting around the star, who is best in the painted area.

The Nets would need to continue to use the trade market and free agency to build out the rest of their roster, but Antetokounmpo is one of the best starting points that they could ask for.

Future of the Bucks

The Bucks want to avoid trading away Antetokounmpo at all costs. The league is gearing up for a trade request from the star forward, though, especially because of Lillard’s late-season health scares. Luckily, he would be one of the most coveted trade targets ever, so the Bucks would have plenty of buyers to choose from if a trade request was made.

In this trade proposal, the Bucks would land Claxton, Johnson, and four first-round picks. Neither Claxton nor Johnson have hit the age of 30 yet. Claxton is an incredible lob threat and one of the best rim protectors in the NBA. Johnson is a marksman from deep who has been coveted as a trade target for years.

This trade would put the Bucks into a full-blown rebuild. The team is currently pick-deprived, so the addition of draft capital is needed. They’d also likely move on from Lillard in another trade if Antetokounmpo were to be on the move. This trade would signal the end of an era, but it would certainly usher in a promising future.

There is a good chance that this trade will never come to pass. The Bucks could go on a deep playoff run in the weaker Eastern Conference, and the Nets might be hesitant to include players such as Claxton and Johnson in a deal because of how thin the roster would become. Antetokounmpo likely would want to be traded to a better team, too. The NBA is weird these days, though, and star player trades have become the norm. Nobody has forgotten about the Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis trade. But if it were to come to pass, an Antetokounmpo trade would automatically become one of the biggest deals in the history of the NBA.

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