Giannis is Saying Goodbye to the Bucks

Giannis is Saying Goodbye to the Bucks

Well, it’s finally happening. Sham says for the first time in his career, Giannis is open-minded about whether his best fit is remaining in Milwaukee or playing elsewhere. Now, I know people are going to be like, “Oh, that’s nothing.” He’s just saying he’s open-minded, but that is such BS. Giannis says for the first time, he’s open-minded. Yeah, right. In 2023, this dude said in an interview, “I’m a Milwaukee Buck, but most importantly, I’m a winner. I want to win. And if there’s a better situation for me to win the Larry O’Brien, I have to take that better situation. Obviously, he’s been open-minded for years. So, does this sound like the first time? No. So, why is he leaking this to Shawn’s right now? Because he is about to request a trade and he’s just putting together that trade demand list, but we know the teams that are going to be on that list. It is obvious which teams he would want to go to. But for people who are still in denial about if Giannis is going to demand a trade, this is the small market star playbook. They don’t want to look like the bad guy. So they always send out little less aggressive signs first just to get people ready. The playoffs was like he’s loyal. He is loyal for years. Then all of a sudden a few months before the actual trade demand, he just started to hint stuff like he went on IG live with the Will Smith song Miami playing in the background. This sent ESPN fake trades just because the dude went on IG live with a song in the background. Then some guy went on an interview with Dame and he asked him, “Hey, where could you see yourself playing?” Just hypothetically. Miami obviously and an official trade demand was not long after that. Then there was De’ar Fox admitting that he has a preferred landing spot, you know, if he happen to be traded. Like these players, they don’t want to be the bad guy. So, they just hint at things first because they know it’s like, “Hey, Portland, Sacramento, Milwaukee, you’re not going to get another superstar for a long time.” And I feel terrible, but eventually the truth comes out. So Sean’s tweet is actually gigantic. Giannis is 100% getting traded. But to where? Well, this is the tricky part because Giannis just saw firsthand how bad this can turn out. Damen Lillard burned all of his loyalty points in Portland. Playing on one team could have been his legacy, but he left for what a disaster. So Giannis is like, “Yo, I don’t want to end up like, dang, if I’m going to leave the only NBA team that I’ve ever known and hurt these fans like this, it needs to work.” Or look at Kevin Durant. Like going to Golden State worked out. Won two titles, but why did he leave there? I mean, KD’s career has been a joke ever since he left the Bay. No, you want to be like Shaq, who left Orlando to LA, won three titles, then he left for a ring in Miami. So, there is a ton of pressure on Giannis to get this right. But before we look at Giannis’s list, why are the Bucks like totally cooked? Because in the past, they have made big moves to support Giannis. Like, dude was coming off back-to back MVPs, but never even made the finals. Rumors he could leave. They trade control of five first round picks and decent players to get Drew Holiday. And it worked. They immediately won a championship. Next year, lose second round to Boston, then first round to Miami. No problem. Get Damen Lillard for Drew Holiday in control of three picks. Only this time, it backfired. Two straight first round exits. So, every time there’s been pressure on Giannis like this to leave, they just make a big trade. The only problem is now they’ve got no more trade assets. They’ve got a lousy first round pick to deal, which won’t get them anything. They have no serious players. like, “Oh, try swapping injured Dame and Kyoosma for somebody good. How’s that going to work out?” So, it was a great run in Milwaukee, but now time has run out. So, what happens next? Well, Giannis is going to look around the league for that perfect fit, right? Where he can actually win a title, and all of this isn’t for nothing. But at the same time, he is under contract for two more years. So, the Bucks are actually in control of this. They will take the best offer possible. The Bucks need win now players. Why? Because they don’t control their own picks. So, it makes no sense for them to suck. If they get a high pick in the draft, it’s going to go to some other team. So, what if the Bucks are like, “Yeah, dude. Uh, the best package actually is coming from the Portland Trailblazers.” If that happens, then Giannis can be like, “Oh, no, no. I was just open-minded. I don’t actually want to leave.” So, what is that team going to be? Well, who’s got a good mix of win now players and picks to offer the Bucks? Well, the best two teams with that package are the Rockets and the Spurs because they have win now players and other people’s picks. Like the Bucks don’t want the Rockets or the Spurs actual picks because they’re going to have a Giannis. Those picks are going to be low in the first round, but ah the Rockets have picks from the Suns and the Nets to choose from. The Spurs have the Hawks near future plus swaps from Boston, Dallas, and Sacramento. But Giannis’ personal list might start with the Warriors. How would they get involved? Well, as far as win now players, Golden State would almost have to deal either Jimmy Butler or Draymond Green to have this trade work financially. And I know Warrior fans hate that idea, but it’s the truth. But the Warriors could actually jump the line to get Giannis if they do one thing. If Golden State is able to convince the Pelicans to deal the Bucks picks back to them, it would be huge. The Pells own the next three drafts for Milwaukee. So in a three-team deal, if the Bucks could get their own picks back, that would enable them to rebuild through the draft. So the Warriors know what they have to do. So we also have to consider the Pelicans. They’ve got shooting a pretty deep roster. The Bucks picks and what happens on Monday night? You may already know this depending on when you’re watching this video, but the Pels could easily get the number one pick in the draft. Do they consider dealing Cooper flag for the chance to win now with Giannis? Or maybe they pick two or three and just really sweeten the deal for Milwaukee. Just use Zion salary to make the money work. And I think the Pels could be the biggest threat to land the Greek freak. But where does Giannis actually want to go to? Well, I think that Houston is more sketchy than people think. The Rockets are in the top of a lot of these fake trade lists because they have more assets than anyone. They just got the two seed. What’s not to like? Well, I guarantee Giannis looks at that roster and hates it. Did you know that Houston is one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the NBA? And that’s the only way that Giannis is successful. You don’t want to be on a team that lives at the rim. Oh, well, the Rockets could just acquire shooters. No. Do you know how difficult that is? Every single team in the league needs three and D players. They’re not just hanging around ready to be signed. No. I think Giannis would much prefer the Warriors for obvious reasons. He’s got Steph, buddy heels, stretching the floor, championship pedigree. The Spurs are actually decent. He’s a much better fit with Wimi than people realize. Vic can space the floor. The Cavaliers, especially if they lose in the second round again. I mean, Giannis is not afraid to play in a small market. He would come in to be their final piece to put them over the top. And they have shooting. Plus, they could send Milwaukee a win now package. The Cavs are one of those teams that just have so much talent. Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Edin Mobley, and Jared Allen have all been NBA Allstars, and they can’t get past the second round. Of course, the problem there is tradable first round picks. They only have one first and two swaps. So, control of three first round picks, not ideal. But if Giannis is serious about winning a title, he picks a team like that and not like Miami. I mean, people are going to talk heat, but if they put Tyler Hero or Bam in the deal, what kind of roster is Giannis even going to? So, my Giannis list prediction is the Warriors, Spurs, Cavs, Thunder, and Knicks. Now, it kind of feels like a weird list, but I’m just looking at teams with a realistic package to trade, a roster that fits, plus in a serious position to win a title. But the Miami Heat are in huge trouble. They want Giannis, obviously, but it’s unrealistic. Jimmy Butler left them in a terrible position. So, I had a look at their entire off season and what happens next.

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Shams tweeted that Giannis is “open minded” to leaving Milwaukee for the right fit. This is a look at why that means the Bucks’ star is on his way out and where he may land.