The Bucks should NEVER trade Giannis Antetokounmpo

Trading Giannis would only create bigger problems for the Bucks.

Every year, Milwaukee Bucks fans have to hear somebody put the idea out there that Giannis Antetokounmpo should leave Milwaukee, or demand a trade out of Milwaukee.

This time, an article on SB Nation suggested that Milwaukee should trade Giannis to get themselves out of their hole. Now, it is good that the writer explains that since he is a Celtics fan in Boston, he would see the Bucks trading Giannis as a great benefit. But let’s be honest: trading Giannis is, quite frankly, a terrible idea for the Bucks.

First of all, as rough as things are in Milwaukee right now, there are still reasons for optimism. Setting aside wins over Toronto and Detroit this week, the article makes a point that they cannot beat Boston, New York, and Cleveland because Milwaukee has already lost to that trio five times through eleven games. They led the Celtics at half on Monday and may have won had Damian Lillard not sustained a concussion due to an overzealous referee at the end of the third quarter instead of trailing by three with 1:45 remaining and losing by six. The Cavs losses were by one and two points, respectively, and Giannis missed the second game. Hardly indictments of any team who loses to the NBA’s best by record.

But more importantly, Giannis is still the guy in the city, the franchise, and the state. Everything that Milwaukee ownership has been able to accomplish is because they have had Giannis there from the beginning. Trading Giannis would be disposing of the franchise’s soul and indicating they have no intentions of trying to win ever again. There’s no reason for it. There’s no explanation.

Eight first-round picks (as the SBN article suggests) sound good on paper, but you will spend years hoping things work out, and that isn’t a guarantee. You’re likely not getting a top-five pick from that haul. You’re not getting consistently high lottery picks if you trade Giannis to a team with the assets to pull off such a trade because that team would be a title contender. Even a contender flush with firsts like the Thunder or Rockets possess picks that are primarily from other contenders like the Suns, Nuggets, Mavs, and Sixers, while any from lesser teams like the Heat, Clippers, and Jazz are protected at least 1–8.

Also, the Bucks do not control their own first-round pick until 2031 (when Giannis will be 36). In odd-numbered years, those picks are property of other teams, namely New Orleans and Portland, or possibly to Brooklyn, Atlanta, or Washington, depending on where the picks land. In even-numbered years, the Pelicans and Blazers have the right to swap first-round picks with the Bucks, which the Pelicans actually did last year. This is all thanks to 2020’s Jrue Holiday trade and 2023’s Damian Lillard trade.

Even if the Bucks are getting back their own firsts in the trade, much like the Brooklyn Nets did this summer when they traded Mikal Bridges, this still does not guarantee a star player, regardless of where the pick lands. Losing a top-tier superstar in his prime for the chance to draft someone who might become a multi-time All-Star if the lottery balls bounce your way is a bad tradeoff. It’s the old mystery box cliche: maybe by dealing Giannis, you might even one day get a player as good as Giannis! But he’s a top 75 player all-time, and those odds are tiny.

It’s pretty unlikely any picks from other teams would be as valuable as what the Bucks have already sent out, especially if they have a losing record any given year. Not to mention they’d lose Giannis in the process. Tanking just can’t be an option for the Bucks, nor should being in the lottery, where they’d certainly be without Giannis. However poorly they play, their pick would definitely go to someone else, and it would be a complete catastrophe, dooming the franchise even further. Voluntarily giving up your franchise player, destroying your playoff chances for years, and not getting the benefit of having a top draft pick after all those years would be an utter disaster.

I’ve recently been watching Suits, and this season, a character named Ava Hessington finds herself in hot water, putting her at risk of losing the company she owns and going to prison. Long story short, she says that she would rather rot in a prison cell than see a particular individual take control of her company, and I fully agree with that. I would rather see the Bucks lose and have a bleak future with Giannis and he eventually leaves via free agency than try to attempt to even get in a better position without Giannis.

There is no guarantee that the picks and players would even come anywhere close to equaling what Giannis can give the Bucks. In fact, it’s closer to a guarantee that they wouldn’t. He is still a top-three player in the NBA. Giannis is still the reason why the Bucks are even in Milwaukee. I know the writer brings up Mookie Betts and the lopsided trade that sent him from the Boston Red Sox to the Los Angeles Dodgers, but the thing is, that’s the Boston Red Sox. They’re always going to be safe, and they’re always going to be able to use their money to get their next superstar.

That is not the situation for the Bucks; Milwaukee can’t acquire a star via free agency. The fact that Milwaukee acquired their superstar by drafting Giannis with the fifteenth pick was a miracle. I doubt that will happen again, and the Bucks will never be a free agent destination. So unless Milwaukee pulls off another trade like they did to acquire Damian Lillard, there is no simple way to get their next superstar unless they get lucky in the draft again.

If the Bucks want to get themselves out of “rock bottom” (if they’re even there), they might have to make moves that players or fans won’t like. That could mean trading Lillard and admitting the gamble didn’t work, even though you still take that chance in a redo. Fan favorites like Khris Midleton and Brook Lopez would have to be traded to teams looking for that missing piece, getting mid-to-late first-round picks and rotation pieces in return to try and complement Giannis. If they need to rebuild, the Bucks’ rebuild has to be focused on building around Giannis because he is still a top-three player in the league and should remain one of its best players in the years ahead, even as he gets older. We’ve seen Giannis carry Milwaukee in the past, with the Pistons game as the most recent example of him willing Milwaukee to victory.

Not to mention, he likes it here. Yes, still. Even right now. If you don’t believe me, here it is from the man himself:

We all react similarly to these seemingly annual Giannis articles: we get mad, roll our eyes, and wonder why this keeps happening to Giannis and not other stars in similar markets. Bucks fans have dealt with it for seven years; we are tired of it.

There’s also the fact that only one team can be a champion; we, as Bucks fans, have thankfully seen a championship led by Giannis. There is still the part of sports where you want to see the best player in your franchise history continue to awe and inspire you. Things are bleak in Milwaukee, but trading him doesn’t get the Bucks out of the pit of despair; it just gets you deeper into it without the beacon of hope that makes you want to believe.

If you wave the white flag and give up, you send the message that there isn’t hope that Giannis can drag you out. It’s almost like watching your favorite TV series without the show’s main star, like The Office without Michael Scott. Yeah, it’s still the same show, but it’s not what made you want to watch or feels like the show you fell in love with. So while the Bucks’ front office and ownership need to figure out the best move to extricate themselves from their rough start, giving up and sending Giannis out is not that move.