The Milwaukee Bucks finished at an abysmal 32-50 this season, without a play-in berth. Doc Rivers is out the door. Franchise cornerstone Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future is in limbo. And with the offseason approaching, trade speculations are already heating up.
One such scenario comes from Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz, who maps out where Antetokounmpo could end up this year.
Bleacher Report Proposes Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade to Indiana Pacers
Greg Swartz lays out the full package. The Pacers can send Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard, Jarace Walker, and an unprotected 2027 first-round pick to Milwaukee. In return, Indy can get Antetokounmpo and Kyle Kuzma.
And his reasoning for this is pretty straightforward. “Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Pacers have had some real battles over the years, although teaming up this summer would be mutually beneficial,” Swartz wrote. “Tyrese Haliburton will be back next year and Ivica Zubac is already on board as the team’s new starting center. Adding a two-time MVP in his prime to a core that also features Aaron Nesmith, Obi Toppin, T.J. McConnell, Kuzma and potentially the No. 1 overall pick in the draft would make the Pacers the best team in the East.”
The Pacers came very close to an NBA championship last season. Haliburton is one of the league’s premier playmakers. Zubac arrived in Indy via trade and slots as a starting center.
Adding Antetokounmpo to this mix makes Indy a favorite in the East, not just a mere contender.
For Milwaukee, this exchange seems fruitful too. Siakam averages 24.0 points and 6.6 rebounds this season. Nembhard is ninth in assists at 7.7, while Walker is coming off a third-year breakout.
The Bucks don’t control their own first-round pick until 2031. So the unprotected 2027 Pacers pick will matter a lot more than we can think.
Plus, considering all the recent affairs, the Bucks might not even have a choice but to continue with this proposed trade. The context and scenario surrounding his relationship with the Bucks feels less like speculation and more like inevitability.
Milwaukee has had a messy season. Antetokounmpo underwent left knee surgery in March, yet he repeatedly insisted he is all set to play, while the team is “making him sit out the last 15 games.”
It reached a point where the league had to step in and launch an inquiry into possible violations of the Player Participation Policy. Locker room conversations leaked out, and eventually Rivers stepped down after the season ended.
Antetokounmpo came forward recently to address his future with the Bucks, deliberately being vague about their season-ending loss to Philadelphia.
“That’s a very good question,” he said when asked if he’d played his last game in Milwaukee. “I don’t know. It’s not up to me. We’ll see.”
Chris Broussard, too, had little patience for all of this ambiguity. “I like Giannis, but **** GET OUT, GIANNIS! Just make the trade demand public,” he said on First Things First. “I think at this point the team needs to trade him. You have Giannis and you’re terrible.”
Even the team owner, Wes Edens, stated that Antetokounmpo will either be extended or traded out before he can reach unrestricted free agency next summer.
For now, Antetokounmpo hasn’t been offered an extension, so the clock keeps ticking.