The Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo have yet to sit down and talk after they were eliminated from the playoffs, but that will soon change.
After failing to make a deep playoff run with Giannis, it seems all but certain that he will demand a trade this summer. That makes the reported meeting between the two sides next week all the more important.
According to NBA insider Chris B. Haynes, the Bucks and Giannis will meet next week to discuss the team's future and presumably how he factors into those plans. That could be when he requests to be traded, which would send off shock waves around the NBA.
With Giannis potentially hitting the trade market, there would be a potential host of teams that will try and land him. However, after recent developments, it may be far fewer than expected.
The Milwaukee Bucks may have fewer teams vying for Giannis Antetokounmpo
Previously, it was expected that the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Houston Rockets would all make a run at Giannis. This is considering that all three are young teams with plenty of assets and potentially one big piece away from being a championship contender.
Nevertheless, their plans may have changed. The Spurs landed the second overall pick recently and are reportedly unlikely to make a big trade this summer as a result.
Meanwhile, the Thunder just made the Western Conference Finals, solidifying them as a team to beat in the Western Conference going forward. That lessens the need for them to make a trade for Giannis. Lastly, the Rockets have a talented young core but appear resistant to making a trade for a star.
The Bucks may not get the return value they were hoping for
All of that is bad news for Milwaukee, particularly if a recent report by NBA insider Howard Beck is true. Beck states that Giannis is only interested in playing in big markets.
That could mean that he would rather play in New York or California, or maybe even Florida, more specifically Miami. Even so, none of those teams have the flexibility to easily trade for him this summer. The only one that potentially could, the Brooklyn Nets, doesn't have much in the way of players that would interest the Bucks.
Fewer teams pursuing Giannis means fewer trade options. On one hand, that could make it easier to keep him. On the other hand, if he is dead set on being traded and only has a couple of teams in mind, it could mean the Bucks get far less in a trade package for Giannis than first thought.