It has been rumored that Giannis might force his way out of Milwaukee via trade after their awful start to the season. The Nets and Heat have been rumored to be the front runners if Giannis were to become available, but there is another team that should be involved in trade talks to land the superstar. That is the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Thunder Receive 

Giannis Antetokounmpo, 2031 1st Round Pick

Bucks Receive 

Jalen Williams, Isaiah Hartenstein, 2025 1st round pick (UTA top 10 protected), 2025 1st round pick (PHI top 6 protected), 2026 1st round pick (OKC), 2027 1st round pick (DEN), 2027 1st round pick (OKC)

The Bucks Need to Restart 

The Bucks have been horrible under Doc Rivers. The Bucks core consists of Dame entering his age 34 season, a 33 year old Khris Middleton who just had off-season surgery on both ankles, a 36-year-old Brooke Lopez, who is a free agent next year, and of course Giannis Antetokounmpo. Giannis’ supporting cast isn’t nearly the same as their 2021 championship team, and with his aging teammates and increase in great competition, this Bucks team isn’t nearly the same as their championship roster.

Teams in the East have only gotten scarier this off-season, and the Bucks made no moves to add depth or star power to their roster. The Bucks also had a different-looking roster when they won their championship, and won’t be able to get back to where they used to be.

Bucks’ Trade Insight 

The Bucks don’t hold any picks until 2031 so if they were smart they’d trade Giannis for a haul of picks in the upcoming 2-3 years, as these are going to be some of the most loaded draft classes the NBA has seen in a long time. Trading for Isaiah Hartenstein will help the Bucks greatly as Brooke Lopez is an unrestricted free agent after this season, and resigning him while he’s entering his age 37 season isn’t something that will help this franchise at the moment.

Jalen Williams also has a lot of potential, and having a bigger role in Milwaukee will help his career out greatly. At this point the Bucks championship window is fully closed, so trading your 2x MVP for a great young forward, a solid center to replace your old, free agent one, and getting a boat load of picks may seem like a desperation move, but it may be the smartest thing the Bucks can do if they want to win any time soon.

Thunder Need To Cash In Their Picks 

The Thunder own five first-round picks this year and 15 through 2030. They already have a loaded core with SGA, Chet Holmgren, Lu Dort, and Alex Caruso, so getting rid of Isaiah Hartenstein and upgrading from Jalen Williams to Giannis feels like a no-brainer. Chet is improving his game in every way, so Isaiah Hartenstein’s impact isn’t going to be as great and although Jalen Williams is a key piece to this team, Giannis will make the Thunder a superteam.

Trading away 5 firsts won’t make a dent in the Thunder’s future as an organization, and they have the opportunity to add an 8x all-star to a team that finished first in the West last year, and pair him alongside SGA, who finished top three in MVP voting just a season ago. The Thunder don’t need to add any more young talent at this point, and with the 2025 draft class being deemed “the best since 2003”, the Thunder need to take advantage of that by cashing in their picks for the Greek Freak.