By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The rumors about Giannis Antetokounmpo potentially moving on from the Milwaukee Bucks have extended to a favorable situation for the Toronto Raptors to complete a trade for the Freak.
Answering a question about Giannis in a mailbag for Canadian outlet Toronto Star, Raptors insider Doug Smith noted mutual interest between the 30-year-old superstar and the franchise.
“I don’t know if it will happen but I do know there is mutual interest between Antetokounmpo and the Raptors. The wild card is the cost,” he wrote.
The member of the senior national team of Greece is under contract until the end of the 2026-27 season and has a player option for the 2027-28 season. Therefore, he must be traded for a change of scenery after 12 years with the Bucks.
“But I also think the Raptors are uniquely placed to make an attractive offer that won’t ruin their franchise or roster,” Smith continued, sharing his view on a potential trade with the Raptors, “I would make the case that a logjam at the wings makes them deep enough that if they had to pay even two out of Gradey Dick, Ochai Agbaji, Ja’Kobe Walter, RJ Barrett, Jonathan Mogbo would still leave enough to fill out a pretty good team with promising young players still developing. Plus, they have all their picks, so giving a first-rounder every year for, say, four years, leaves enough.”
“The question is if you think the remaining players will develop, just as that group of Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby and Jakob Poeltl did. Not to that level — that’s a historic young group no one’s come close to matching — but if it can come close, that’s pretty darn good,” he added, “Again, the odds of doing a Giannis deal are long but the remnants of paying a steep price isn’t too bad.”
Giannis is expected to have a meeting with the Bucks to discuss his future with the franchise based in Milwaukee, expected to focus on whether he can strengthen a bid for a second NBA championship in Milwaukee or elsewhere.