The LOWDOWN on the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade saga | Do the Toronto Raptors have a hope in hell?!

The LOWDOWN on the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade saga | Do the Toronto Raptors have a hope in hell?!

on your Friday episode of Locked on Raptors. I’d love to stay committed to my not talking about Giannis bit, but Camille Davis from Locked on Bucks is here, so I guess we got to do it. You are Locked On Raptors, your daily Toronto Raptors podcast, part of the Locked On Network, your team every day. Hey, what’s going on and welcome to another episode of Locked On Raptors, part of the Locked On Network, your team every day. It is Friday, May the 16th, and I am your host, Sean Woodley. I’ve been covering the Toronto Raptors now for 11 seasons on various various platforms. You can find all my work over on Blue Sky. You can also find the show on Instagram. You can join us in the Lockdown Raptors Discord server. Link in the description of the podcast. You want to come join the Sicko Den. It’s 100% free. Great place to come hang out. talk ball. Lots of draft talk going on in there. And of course, plenty of Giannis talk as well, which we don’t talk about on this podcast unless it’s a day that ends in Y apparently. Uh today’s show is brought to you by our friends over at Prize Picks. Uh download the app, use the code locked in NBA to get 50 bucks instantly when you play your first $5 lineup. Prize Picks run your game. And we are off and running here on your Friday edition of the podcast. Again, not talking about Giannis because it’s just not happening. But of course, Camille Davis just happened to be sliding through the the Streamyard room. And so, of course, we’re going to talk about it. Camille, how the hell are you? You know, I’d be better if we had a Giannis decision, but that doesn’t feel like it’s coming anytime soon. So, you know, I’m I’m taking a day by day. Yeah, we’re all just here being wheels in the transaction industrial complex talking about trades that may or may not happen because it’s good for biz. Um, yeah, I I wanted to get you on here, Camille. We’ve been, you know, just talking loosely, speculating, etc., etc., all week long, last couple weeks. Of course, the Shams report earlier this week about Giannis, you know, o being open to considering maybe different places to play the rest of his career or whatever the exact wording was in Shams’s very special brand of English. Uh, and uh, you know, it’s like I I wanted to go to the source. I wanted to go to someone who knows what’s going on with the Bucks, who’s very plugged in. Of course, you host Locked on Bucks Bucks. Locked on Bucks wonderfully. And I I just wanted to get the lowdown from you, go to the source as to what’s going on here. Do you actually think this report on Monday is kind of setting into wheels the Giannis Tentacoup eventual trade request? Is this just the sort of routine Giannis kind of looking around but ultimately doomed to stay or you know destined to stay? Maybe not doomed, although with the with the state of the future of the team, maybe that’s the word you’d use. I don’t know. Um, but does this feel different to you from previous times where there have been diances with going somewhere else or does this very much feel like, okay, this could be go time finally after many, many years of him staying put in Milwaukee and being quite loyal to the city. It feels a little different. But I have to say, I actually laughed a little bit when I saw the initial Shams report come out on Monday. I believe this week feels like it’s taken forever since Sham report has dropped. Um, with him saying, you know, for the first time in Giannis’s career, he’s open-minded. And I’m like, if this is the first time in his career, why for the last six years has this been the story every time his contract ran out, right? This is the first time. Um, so that made me laugh. But the point of it where I’m like, okay, there’s something behind it, I think it’s just where the Bucks currently stand. those prior two extensions that Giannis signed right before he did it. At least the Bucks got off to a really strong season. They didn’t meet their end goal in the playoffs, but the regular season, they were still a really dominant team. And we haven’t seen that from the Bucks this year. They really had to fight to get to that five seed, and they really secured it with a hot stretch to end the season, winning eight straight to close it out, including that crazy comeback they had over the Wolves, which took a lot out of them. But um I think when you look at what the assets the Bucks have, which aren’t many at this point, um John Horse does not have as many avenues as he’s had in summers past to make something happen immediately. Like you think about Drew Holiday gets traded uh to the Bucks, United Times extension like a month after that. He talks the next time like, “Hey, you know, want to make sure I’m somewhere I can compete.” And then shortly after that, they get dame. And there are no assets in the cabinet this time for them to make that type of move. So, it’s really going to come down to if Giannis is willing to see whatever the future vision is for this next era of Bucks basketball. Yeah. I guess like for me, if I’m the Bucks, I I know like there’s all these arguments in favor of you just maybe it’s time to rip off the band-aid and move on whether Giannis says do it or not, right? Just because of the situation they’re in. I’ve kind of come at it from the other end where I’m just like if I’m the Bucks, I’m hanging on to Giannis for dear life. Yeah. No matter what, right? like he is essential to everything that franchise is just as like a business first and foremost and to kind of go into these dark waters of the future without him and then also not have all your own picks. I mean, you could get a monster hall for Giannis and still be in like some pretty grim times for many years to come. If it’s going to be grim one way or another, why not have it be grim with Giannis Attento if he wants to be around? And so do you think it’s just going to take Giannis outright saying you got to trade me or is there a chance the Bucks kind of do this kind of you know they take the initiative themselves and say you know what regardless of what you want Giannis it just kind of is best for the franchise if we make this move now I’m curious what you think there if I’m John Horst I am not trading Giannis unless out of his mouth he says I want out of Milwaukee and I honestly think that’s the way that the franchise is approaching this as well. Um Giannis saying I want to be somewhere where I can compete is nothing new. He has been saying that since he really ascended into the MVP level player that he is. So that part is nothing new. It’s just a question of will he buy what the Bucks are selling because I know on Locked on Bucks I’ve been saying I think it makes some sense to sell Giannis on this like hey we know Dame is going to be out for most of this upcoming season but when Dame was out for the blood clots to end this regular season uh you had the ball in your hand a lot more. the offense ran completely through you. We figured out the type of players we need to surround you with if we go forward with the ball being in your hand. Meaning, we need defensive guys who can shoot. Like, that’s really all we need around you. And we’re going to move forward. We’re going to try to bring back Gary Trent Jr., Kevin Porter Jr., we have AJ Green. If we extend AJ Green, but this year is more so of like the a retooling year. And next summer when we have a bit more flexibility, the cap goes up another 10%. Then we’re going to plan to try to make a move when we also have more draft assets available to use in order to try to improve this team. So if you had to put it like like a number of how likely it is you think Giannis is playing somewhere else next year versus Milwaukee. I’ve again my very uneducated just kind of reading the outside tea leaves. I put it like I’d say 6040 he gets moved. But I’m curious, do you are you more on the line that he’s going to stay? What what what percentage would you put on that he is going to get traded this summer? Yeah, earlier this week I think I was more around like 7030 where I thought like 70% Giannis stays. Now I’m probably around like 65 35 where it’s like it it swayed a few different times. Like I honestly think that the Bobby Portoris comments I think Bobby is like I think Bobby Portoris is gone but this is not a Bobby Portoris episode. This is a Giannis episode. We’re not worried about Bobby Poris over here. But um I I I do think that there’s a pathway forward for Yiannis Stain, especially when you look at just the Eastern Conference as a whole. Especially, you saw what happened with Tatum in Boston, unfortunately, but that changes the future of the Celtics this upcoming year. Uh if you’re trying to win championships, the easiest pathway to do so is still the East. The East is better than it was, you know, five, six years ago, but it’s still not as deep as the West. So, like I would pitch Giannis on like the landscape of the conference you’re playing in in addition to putting the ball in your hands, can have some crazy numbers, and this is the build year to get to the system next year where we really can take over with this. Yeah, I I mean it just I mean Cooper Flag’s going out west presumably Dylan Harper is going out west. Like the West talent stacking just seems to be continuing over and over and the Tatum injury obviously opens up a lot next year. And yeah, like I don’t know, it’s not rocket science to build like a functional team around Giannis. He’s incredible. You don’t need that much to win like the 45 games it’ll probably take to be a playoff team at least next year. And then you get into a series with Giannis and yeah, you’re probably not as good as the Pacers or the Knicks are this year. They’re really good teams, but and you know, they lost to the Pacers in five obviously, but you get any of the other teams and you could be very much there at in a second round. And I think that’s an admirable thing to shoot for if you’re the Bucks considering you’ve already won a championship. Like Giannis is stamped and for Giannis like you know again I don’t like to ever assume people’s motivations and emotions and and sort of the things that make them go but it does feel like the loyalty thing does seem to matter to him quite a bit. And so um I would not be at all surprised if he it just is a buck for the rest of time and this will just be another one of those blips where it felt like it got close to the to the cliff’s edge but never quite went over. I want to come back, Camille, and get into a couple things. You know, the the lottery effects and whether the Spurs become like a favorite in this mix. You know, I think there’s been some reporting that they want to take Dylan Harper and go forward. When I look at their back court, I’m like, really? Maybe it seems a little strange, but uh we’ll get into the Spurs. And I also want to get into the idea of would Giannis handpick a location? And if that’s the case, would the Bucks oblige him with that considering all that’s gone into the relationship? We’re going to get into that so much more. Even build a trade as we go forward here uh on this uh Raptors Bucks crossover edition. We’ll do that in just one sec. Today’s Today’s show is brought to you by Prize Picks. 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Use the code locked NBA to get 50 bucks instantly after you play your first $5 lineup. That’s code locked at NBA to get 50 bucks instantly after you play your first $5 lineup. Prize picks run your game. Back at it here with Camille Davis from Locked on Bucks talking Giannis, of course, the thing we never talk about on this podcast. Uh Camille, the lottery obviously uh crazy results to say the least that no one is skeptical of whatsoever. Everyone’s being very normal about it all. Um it seems like the Mavericks are indeed going to not trade Cooper flag. Although, do I believe that Nico Harrison is going to not do dumb things? Absolutely not. We’ll see. The juryy’s still out there. But the Spurs moving up to two for me like that at once felt like a death nail to the Raptors chances of really kind of having an offer that would hold up if all of the teams that in theory could get in the mix start to throw their best offers on the table. That second pick feels like a real sweet thing to say, hey Giannis or say hey Milwaukee you’re moving on from Giannis but here’s Dylan Harper. Start your franchise with him again and new. You get some picks for the deal as well. maybe a young guy or two and it’s it’s culpathetic for everybody and I also felt like it could be the first death nail of the the rest of the league as a Giannis WBY front court would be absolutely disgusting and ruin all of our lives for many many years. Um and so I I’m curious like what was your response to that lottery outcome? Like did the Spurs go up in your personal potential, you know, trade offer power rankings? And uh do you think that the results of the lottery are in any way going to impact how this whole thing plays out? It definitely piques something in me of like, hey, if Giannis does want out, the Spurs could offer a really interesting package. So far, the hardest part about this is that Giannis is so good and I’m still of the belief that he is good enough to continue to carry a team if he is your focal point. So again, I want to be very clear. I am not in the camp of trade, Giannis. The only way I would do it is if Giannis himself said, “You know what? I think I could win if I leave Milwaukee. I have a better shot to win elsewhere.” Now, that’s why the Spurs was one of those teams where I was like, now that I I could see Giannis being like, if I’m trying to win and and pairing myself with Wimi and that’s the front court where you have pretty much like a super duper version of Brook Lopez, someone who can space the floor, play crazy defense, and on top of that, the age of Wimi in the San Antonio culture as well, like that feels like a a city, an area that Giannis would enjoy given that he has an affinity for Milwaukee, another town that’s smaller, a bit more quiet. There’s no state tax in Texas as we know. So, if Giannis did say like, “Hey, I do want out.” The Spurs, I think, are a team that make some sense based on what they can offer. Like I saw uh I think it was Ricky O’Donnell had an article for SB Nation and his package for Giannis was the San Antonio Spurs would get Giannis, the Bucks would get Castle, the number two pick, the Hawks 27 first round pick, the Celtics 28 first round pick, the Spurs 29 first round pick, plus Harrison Barnes and Kell Johnson to help make all the money work. Yeah, that Celtics pick could end up being a really interesting one in another three years. And that was a package where I’m like that I would listen to that. I might want to add in a few more. Maybe get a pick swap or another pick if possible. Uh but like that’s in the range of where you’re looking at like four number one picks bare minimum is where the conversation starts. Plus a young player the Bucks could possibly build around. Yeah. The picks thing to me again it’s where we’ll get into a potential Raptors offer, but it’s where I think the Raptors really fall short because they just have their own picks. They don’t have picks from teams that Giannis will not be playing for to offer up, right? Like this is why the the Rockets to me are so compelling. And I know everyone’s like, “Oh, you can’t trade Aman Thompson.” Are we really being that cute about Aman Thompson really for Giannis? Like if I’m the the Rockets, I’m putting up Aman Thompson. I’m putting up Dylan Brooks and whatever and Jaylen Green for the salary or whatever it it needs to take and I’m putting in those Suns picks. And I feel like that is like the trump card offer that if it’s on the table, the Bucks have to take it. And then Giannis is playing for Houston with Alper and Shenun and Fred Van Vleet and Tari Een and Jabari Smith. Like there’s still a pretty interesting team left behind there. Um and so this is where the Raptors I think it’s just tricky, right? Is because those picks on for other teams that are not going to be in the Giannis business themselves that you can short and bet against it. It just feels really important for the Bucks who like we’ve talked about, they don’t have their own picks. They can’t just tank and so they need another tank to another team to like tank sort of vicariously through and that’s not going to be the Raptors. If the Raptors have Giannis in theory outside of, you know, the the weird freak injury season where oh, all of a sudden this pick in 2028, you know, if something horrible happens, oh wow, that’s a that’s a great pick all of a sudden. Like that’s there’s always that possibility, but it’s no sure thing. And Giannis we know is, you know, probably going to play a lot of games most years. I know he’s broken down in the playoffs recently, but he’s a pretty durable guy. I wouldn’t be betting against the team that I’m sending him to. Um, and so is that do you think like the top priority here for the Bucks is those picks from teams that um they can kind of bet against as they go forward here without their own picks? Like if they could get that from a team, you mentioned the ones from the Spurs. I talked about Houston. You know, the Thunder obviously have a million picks, although I don’t think the Thunder are doing it. Um because, you know, Sam Prey’s afraid. Uh, but do you uh do you think that’s kind of like the top priority if you’re John Horse and you’re trying to make this move or is it players or guys who can help win now or be competitive in the inter interim time while you wait for your picks to be back in the mix? I think the Bucks might look at it as picks. Um, I know some Bucks fans would probably point to John Hor draft record and be like, is that what we really want to depend on right now? And honestly, it’s going so well. Rashad Vaughn, DJ Wilson, Tom Mur. Okay. Yeah. No, you’re right. Boy, there there are some in there where you’re just like, “Yeah, that one that one wasn’t going to work.” But I mean, sorry to drop a Rashad Vaughn mention on you. I’m sure that was not pleasant. I’m sure no one no one wanted to hear the Rashad Vaughn uh reminder, but I mean that that’s part of it, but to horse credit to that part. I will say those picks were generally later on in the draft. Um if you’re picking, you know, top 10, better shot at finding someone there anyway. So, the odds are different when you have better draft picks. But the point about the assets, I think that’s why and for my world, if Giannis asked out, which would not be my ideal world. I’m going to be clear again, not my ideal world if Giannis asked out. But if he did, I would love a trade to find a way to include either the Pelicans or the Trailblazers to find a way to either get back some of those pick swaps or the draft picks that they traded just outright. Um, and if they’re able to do that while they have the young players, additional draft ammo, it makes a lot more sense for what the future of Milwaukee looks like going forward because it it sucks to be a team that’s bad and you don’t have control of your own draft picks. So then it’s like I got to count on other teams being bad, too. I would rather, you know, have your own picks, have some other teams that might have some bad picks. And honestly too, whatever team does trade for Giannis, uh, I would look to get the 2025 draft pick, assuming it’s a high one, like with the Spurs, but I would also be very interested in getting some draft picks that are three, four years out of like, okay, when Giannis is probably gone, let me get your team’s draft picks here, too, because I want a chance to get a highest draft pick as possible. Yeah, that makes perfect sense. It’s a it’s a tough situation. And like in fairness to uh my you know lack of skepticism or lack of optimism that the Raptors can get a deal done here, I I have not waited into the sicko waters of three team trades getting the Pelicans to send the Bucks picks to the Raptors so they could reroute them to Milwaukee. Uh I’m I’m sure I could get real sick in the head and do that. Um maybe you know Scotty Barnes on the uh on the Pelicans. Anybody? Zion on the Bucks. Saw those picks to the Bucks. I don’t know how this works. We’ll figure it out. Um but yeah, I it seems pretty difficult to make that happen if you’re from the Raptors end of things. Uh I do want to come back on the other side here, Camille, and wrap up getting into just the idea of I think the way the Raptors win this sweep stakes, which I think kind of requires an assist from Giannis. We’ll explain why that is and try to build a Raptors trade that might work for both sides if and when this ever gets to the finish line. and we’ll do that coming up in just one sec to close things out. Today’s show is brought to you by our friends over at Game Time, the single best place to buy tickets for sports and other events you want to go to. I use Game Time all the time with the weather getting nicer. There’s concerts heating up. You’ve of course got baseball season. The Blue Jays kind of figured things out. They’re hitting home runs again, baby. You can go see some live in-person dingers by buying your tickets over at Game Time. I love to go and peruse Game Time. I bought tickets for an MJ Lenderman concert last week. That was a ton of fun all through game time. Very affordable. Uh I’ll probably buy some tickets. There’s TV on the radio this summer. It’s a little soon after I’m expecting a child, so I don’t think I can abandon my wife and child to go see a band that hasn’t toured in 12 years, but I just might because Game Time just makes it so darn affordable to go and do so. I highly recommend you go and check out the Game Time app. Again, it’s super userfriendly and they have all kinds of great features like seat views and the game time guarantee where your 100 tickets are 100% authentic and will arrive on time while giving you the best price. Take the guess we’re going to buying tickets. Download the game time app. Create an account. Use code locked in NBA for 20 bucks off your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, create an account. Redeem the code lkeba for 20 bucks off. Download Game Time the app today. Last minute tickets, lowest price guaranteed. Wrapping up our Giannis talk here with Camille Davis of Locked On Bucks. Camille, I I think the way the Raptors find themselves on top of this thing. And of course, there’s no secret Messiah Jiri, the man has been like Captain Ahab after Moby Dick his entire career since not being able to trade up on the night of the draft in 2013 to get Giannis as much as he really really desperately wanted to. Uh couldn’t get it done. And I think he’s been sitting that with like stewing with that for the last 12 years. Um if if there’s a way to make this happen, you can bet Maujiri is going to do everything that he can within his power. Um problem is again the offers just all things being equal. Other teams with those picks from different teams that are not the team Giannis will be playing for are just going to have the inside track. If it’s like an open bidding war between three, four, five, six different teams. I think the Raptors will come up short there despite not having like terrible stuff on offer. They’ve got all their own picks. They’ve got some interesting young guys who we’ll get to here. But there’s a a wild card in this which is the relationship between the Bucks and Giannis and the longtime loyalty and the um you know I think shared affection that seems to be on both sides there. My question to you, Camille, is if Giannis were to handpick the place he wanted to go to and said Toronto is the place I want to go, Brooklyn is the place I want to go, wherever it is, do you think the Bucks would oblige that just based on the relationship there? We saw this not play out with Damen Lillard. Uh obviously very Bucks connected here uh when he asked out of Portland. He wanted to go to Miami. They did not uh do that. They sent him to Milwaukee and we are where we are now. But uh like it’s a different situation. Giannis has won a championship there. He is probably the best player in franchise history. At least the best player that most fans of the team remember watching play for the team. Um shout out Kareem. But do you think there’s a case that Giannis could handp pick his place and the Bucks would just be like, “Yeah, we’ll figure it out. Whatever it takes.” Yeah, maybe we take less in return than we could get on the open market, but uh if this is what you want, you’ve done so much for us over the years that yes, we’ll oblige. Do you think that is on the table? I think the Bucks would try uh to see if the destination has enough forward. Maybe see if other teams get involved. Like you said, get creative about it, but ultimately I think the Bucks might end up moving like the Blazers in the sense of like we just have to make the move that makes the most sense. Like we’re not going to send you to like Utah or something like that. Uh but week for Utah to catch a stray here on the podcast. You’re right. I’m sorry Utah. It’s been a lot. It’s been a lot. I’m sorry. They’re fine. Shout out to y’all in Washington and you know what’s been going on. Sorry about the draft lottery, but um by the way, I have a date with my wife after we record here to watch the new season of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and I cannot wait more Utah content in my life. Carry on. Need it. I was going to go somewhere, but nope, not on this podcast. Um, but no, I mean like I think you have to try to figure like a middle ground if possible. Like, okay, can you give us a list at least of three destinations that you would be all right going to and we’ll try to get you to at least one of these three. But if he leaned very hard and was like, I only want to go to, let’s say, for example, let’s say the Raptors here, because that’s the crossover here of of Raptors and Bucks. Um, I just I don’t know if the Raptors have enough again unless another team gets involved to be able to offer the best package for Giannis, which I think would make that piece of it very difficult because it’s like, yes, you want to do right by a franchise icon, uh, but you also want to do right by your franchise. You have to be a good steward of the franchise. And the Milwaukee Bucks have done a lot of things since Giannis became who he is as an MVP, top 75 player, uh, to try to make sure this team’s competitive. They’ve been in a luxury tax consistently. They’ve been making crazy trades consistently, which is why they have no assets now. Um, so at some point you have to be like, Giannis, we have already given uh, a lot and we want to try to get you somewhere to make you happy, but we have to make sure that we’re taking care of the bucks going forward. Yeah. I I think it’d be a dereliction of duty to just be like, “Well, you want to go there? Sure. We’ll take whatever poo poo platter that team can offer up.” Um, that said, I I do again, the picks thing is the real conundrum here with the Raptors, but let me throw a a pitch by you, Camille. I’m listening. Um, let’s say Messiah Jiri calls up John Horse and says, “You know what? Giannis clearly wants to come to Toronto. uh you know he he he wants to you know hang out in Greek Town uh and be an absolute hero for an entire country. Uh there’s lots of reasons why being in Toronto I think be very cool for Giannis. But uh let’s just let’s just say let’s try to make this happen. We’ll give you Scotty Barnes. This is your guy that you build the team around, right? I know there’s a lot of folks in Toronto who be like what? You can’t trade Scotty Barnes for Giannis? Come on. It’s Giannis. Uh also I don’t think Scotty and Giannis like I love Scotty Barnes. I don’t think Scotty and Giannis necessarily is like a clean onc court fit. I think they’re very similar sort of what their optimized versions of themselves are. And so I would I think Scotty’s got to be part of the deal if you want Giannis. If you don’t want to put Scotty in the deal, then that’s fine. You just don’t get Giannis. And that’s cool, too. The Raptors I think are going to be fun next year. Very much in the mix in a very wideopen Eastern Conference with Brandon Ingram hopefully healthy. Um RJ Barrett also gets thrown in here as a guy who, you know, bit of an innings eater. I think could come into a team like the Bucks that is maybe not trying to lose every single game. He can come in and score 23 24 a game for you. Run some possessions, eat some innings. And then the picks 2025 firstrounder, ninth overall. It’s not second overall. It’s not Dylan Harper, but it’s a start. 2027 unprotected firstrounder. 2029 unprotected first rounder. 2031 unprotected firstrounder. Um, you know, if you want to throw in swaps, you can do that. I didn’t do that because I just didn’t want to have too much going on on my fans page, but uh I’m sure swaps be part of this as well. Uh Giannis and then Bobby Portoris opts in with his player option and gets sent to the Raptors to make the money match with Scotty and RJ. What do you think of that? Scotty, RJ, the picks for Giannis and Poris. What do you think, Camille? Not crazy about it. Um, let me ask you this too about Scotty Barnes because I know this particular past season was a strange one in Toronto with just how guys were their playing time and games they did playing and not playing, but the year before that, I know Scotty Barnes had some injuries throughout the season. Um would you say that you have concerns about his durability to stay on the court for a full season or has this past season just been more so like we’re trying to play the game to get the best draft position and then the year before was just knickknacks but you know nothing really that you’re concerned about going forward because that would be a big piece of it. I I think the injury stuff I’m not worried about with him. I think it’s been largely just kind of dumb bad luck stuff. like his first injury which was like his first ever extended time out was at the end of his third season where he got kicked in the hand by Emanuel Quickley like in the air like random happen stance broke his hand and then the team just you know they were not very good and they kind of played out the string and didn’t bring him back and then uh this year I mean his main injury he missed 11 games at the start of the season because he took a Nicole Joic elbow to the face on a loose ball totally random it’s a very large man’s elbow to take to your face and he missed 11 games. All the other games he missed were mostly for yeah tank reasons and rest reasons and things like that down the stretch 100%. They tried to get him to 65 game. I think they did get him to 65 games. Um and so yeah, I I think the other thing too is he’s kind of got like these bionic ankles where he like seems to sprain his ankle all the time and then he’s back the next game no problem. Um so there’s that. I I think he’s actually proven to be pretty durable. Even in the playoffs back in his rookie year, he sprained his ankle pretty bad. I think game one of the series against the Sixers and was backed by game four was awesome. And so I I think he actually profiles as one of the more durable guys among, you know, today’s NBA where durability is, you know, kind of a a premium skill to have. I wouldn’t be too worried about that for him going forward. Okay. Okay. Just was curious about that. The answer is still no for me. Um I you you gota I think there needs to be another team involved to get a bit more back because honestly the picks from the Raptors if Giannis is there what are we going to picking you know late 20s consistently like that doesn’t yeah doesn’t really help to bank on those like 2029 2031 picks right of okay this is after his prime and maybe they’re kind of in the the post Giannis window. Um yeah I I think uh I’m with you. I wouldn’t like if that’s the offer, if I’m the Bucks, I think there’s got to be more out there. And it’s not that Scotty Barnes isn’t a good player because he is a damn good player and I think he’s in for kind of a bounceback next year playing with Brandon Ingram. I think it’s going to work quite well. Um it’s just, you know, it’s not Giannis. Like Giannis is Giannis and it’s going to take a hell of a lot to get him. Again, the only way I think the Raptors end up winning this one out is if uh the Bucks do in fact, you know, give in. If Giannis says, “Toron is the only place I want to go. Get me out of America. I got to go to Canada, please.” Like, I think that’s really the only outcome here. But we’ll keep on talking about Giannis, I guess, on the podcast whenever we need to. Uh, as much as I would love to stick to this, we’re not talking about Giannis bit. Uh, it just it seems like it’s never going to be away from us. Camille, thank you so much for taking the time. This was wonderful. I’m sure you’ve just been badgered with people trying to pick apart your basketball team all week long, and it’s uh very cool of you to let me do the same. Uh, anything you want to promote for the good people out there? Yeah, just make sure you guys are checking out the Locked On, you know, podcast network. Check out Locked On Bugs throughout the summer for sure. Keep supporting your teams even when they’re out the playoffs. Y’all keep keep subscribing, keep listening, keep dropping comments. This is where we thrive transaction scuttlebutt. Yeah, it’s Let’s keep Let’s keep the momentum going. Keep it going. Um, locked on NBA. I’m on there Monday night. So, for your Tuesday shows, check that out as well. Uh, if you are somebody who enjoys a more explicit sports podcast, uh, I do the technical file podcast, TE C N I C A L, uh, once a week we record every Tuesday. We talk NBA, NFL, and pro wrestling if that is your cup of tea. Cool. Uh, everyone go check that out. Sounds great. A podcast with swears. Uh, we love it. Uh, I used to do swears on this podcast before the bosses told me to stop. Uh, we’re going to leave it there. Thank you so much for uh rocking with the show. We will be back on Monday. Actually, maybe not. It’s a holiday here in Canada on Monday and I might take the day off after doing six pods this week. But we’ll have lots of stuff for you next week. Really going to dive into some draft stuff next week. Got some prospects that I am going to spend some time immersed in the film of and we’ll dig into them on the show in the weeks to come as the draft draws near. Everyone go check out Locked On Bucks and you can subscribe to Lockdown Raptors. Follow subscribe on all the apps etc. Go to YouTube. Instagram, etc., and join the Discord. Of course, it’s 100% free and the link is in the description of the podcast. As always, we’ll talk to you soon. Have a wonderful long weekend. Bye-bye. Damn it.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is the biggest name potentially available on the trade market this summer in the NBA, and the Toronto Raptors will surely be poking around if he asks for a trade — but will that even happen? In Episode 1869, Sean Woodley is joined by Camille Davis (Locked On Bucks) to talk about the burgeoning Giannis Antetokounmpo trade saga, whether the Bucks would ever consider moving him without an explicit trade request, how the Draft Lottery results could shape a potential Giannis trade market, whether the Bucks would oblige Giannis’ request if he were to hand pick a single preferred destination, and whether the Raptors can put together a competitive enough package to win in a bidding war. It seems like a lot of things are stacking up against the Raptors in this particular trade sweepstakes, but never say never!

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