Why A Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade Could Trigger A Full Rebuild For The Milwaukee Bucks

After another first-round playoff exit at the hands of the Indiana Pacers, Giannis Antetokounmpo has an important decision to make regarding his future with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Giannis Antetokounmpo Would Have To Ask For A Trade

As we all know, the Bucks will not trade Antetokounmpo unless he asks to be moved. The nine-time All-Star is signed with the team for another two years with a player option in 2027-28.

So hopefully Milwaukee’s front office isn’t entertaining the idea of Giannis wanting out. We all saw what happened when LeBron James left the Cleveland Cavaliers and Kevin Durant demanded a trade out of Brooklyn.

Trading a superstar like Giannis would lead to disastrous consequences for the Bucks organization. Before the Greek Freak came along, Milwaukee was only able to win one title in 1971, and the franchise had last appeared in the NBA Finals in 1974.

The only players remaining from the 2021 championship team are Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez. Milwaukee trails only the Boston Celtics as the winningest regular-season team since 2016-17.

It makes little sense to start over at this point.

Bucks Would Begin Another Title Drought Without Giannis Antetokounmpo

Between 1990 and 2018, the Bucks made the playoffs only 13 times and got past the first round just once. They advanced as far as the Eastern Conference finals in 2001 before losing in Game 7 to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Milwaukee held a top-10 pick in the NBA draft year after year, but it didn’t matter. The Bucks had the No. 1 overall pick in 1994 and selected Glenn Robinson. Then they traded for Ray Allen in 1996.

The Bucks went on to experiment with the likes of Marcus Haislip, Andrew Bogut, T.J. Ford, Yi Jianlian, Joe Alexander, and Jabari Parker. They were throwing everything at the wall, hoping something would eventually stick.

Simply put, a team shouldn’t trade the best player the franchise has ever had because of one setback. The front office must regroup and reload. The Bucks should give Giannis what he needs to win again.

Damian Lillard Alone Is Not Enough To Win

Milwaukee trading Giannis Antetokounmpo would trigger a rebuild because Damian Lillard would be the only star left on the roster. This is assuming that the Bucks would receive role players and a king’s ransom worth of draft picks in return for the two-time MVP.

In addition, Milwaukee would no longer be an attractive destination for free agents. That would be a problem for a new Bucks team that lacks talent and star power.

Then there’s the fact that the Bucks have lost three straight times in the first round of the playoffs.

Injuries to Antetokounmpo in 2023 and 2024 and Lillard’s blood clot and then torn Achilles played significant roles in Milwaukee’s recent playoff disappointments.

While Milwaukee could try building around Lillard, one could easily argue that the injury-prone star would be the next one to go. His Achilles injury is a huge setback for the team.

What’s to say general manager Jon Horst doesn’t blow the roster up and rebuild from scratch after losing Giannis?

Bucks Have Five Potential Free Agents This Offseason

Lillard will turn 35 in July and is owed $113 million in the next two seasons after recovering from the torn Achilles. Lopez, Taurean Prince, Bobby Portis, Gary Trent Jr., and Kevin Porter Jr. all could become free agents this summer.

Without Lopez, the Bucks are $23 million below the luxury tax and $41 million beneath the second apron. If Milwaukee re-signs the 37-year-old center, uses its $14.1 million non-tax midlevel exception, and then fills out the roster, the Bucks would become a luxury tax team for a sixth straight season.

Since 2019-20, Milwaukee has spent $220 million in tax penalties, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Three players (Pat Connaughton, Porter, and Portis) have options in their contract. Connaughton has until June 24 to opt in to his $9.4 million contract. Porter and Portis have until June 29 to opt in.

Milwaukee Has Made 25 Trades Since Horst Was Promoted In 2017

More importantly, the Bucks have made 25 trades since Horst was promoted in June 2017. In those trade deals, Milwaukee acquired Eric Bledsoe, George Hill, Nikola Mirotic, Jrue Holiday, PJ Tucker, Grayson Allen, Serge Ibaka, Jae Crowder, Lillard, Patrick Beverley and, most recently, Kyle Kuzma.

Per Marks, the trades in the past eight years have cost Milwaukee seven first-round picks, three years of pick swaps, and 18 second-rounders. Milwaukee would get a lot in return for Giannis, but at what cost?

The Bucks must continue building around Antetokounmpo. That is the way to go.

Milwaukee was successful toward the end of the season when head coach Doc Rivers provided Antetokounmpo with quality shooting from Trent, Porter, and Green. The Bucks had a plus-55.2 net rating with those four players.