It could soon be the end of an era for the Milwaukee Bucks. After they again lost in the first round, it seems increasingly likely that star Giannis Antetokounmpo will demand a trade this summer. Given that the Bucks don't have much in the way of assets needed to continue to build around him, they could do just that and start a rebuild.
Virtually every NBA team will be looking to land Giannis this summer, and that will give the Bucks no shortage of options. However, the actual list of potential teams could be far shorter, but who will trade for Giannis?
Giannis Antetokounmpo's next team after the Bucks couldn't be clearer
Using the process of elimination, only a handful of teams have the assets needed to enter a bidding war for Giannis. Not just that, but even fewer would likely appeal to Giannis. For example, the Utah Jazz have plenty of assets, but they have never been a star destination.
As a result, the Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, and Brooklyn Nets would likely be the top four teams in a potential Giannis sweepstakes. The Nets can offer a much bigger market than the Bucks can, but they have no other star on their roster.
They would also probably have to give up a useful player in a trade to land Giannis. Based on that, they probably won't land him. As for the Rockets, they may have to trade several key players, gutting a team that finished fourth in the West.
The Thunder were the best team in the league this season, and they would be able to keep Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren out of a deal. Pairing them with Giannis would be nightmare fuel for opposing teams but also potentially unsustainable.
The San Antonio Spurs are uniquely positioned to land Giannis Antetokounmpo
Having two superstars on supermax contracts is hard to swing with the new collective bargaining agreement. That doesn't include Holmgren, who will be eligible for a rookie max extension.
They could probably afford to pay all three for a couple of seasons, but they are a small-market team, and the Thunder may prefer to keep their current team. It would be far less expensive and allow them to maintain their flexibility.
That leaves the Spurs as the likely landing spot. After all, they are uniquely positioned to land him. They have plenty of picks, including two lottery picks in this year's draft, as well as moderately paid young players such as Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson.
They would surely be likely to keep Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle out of the deal, and it might be possible, but they'd have to give up more picks to do so. If they can, then they could pair Giannis with a generational talent in Victor Wembanyama, an all-star in De'Aaron Fox, and a rising star in Castle.
They also would be able to largely offset Giannis' contract were they to trade Johnson and Vassell. Castle is also on his rookie-scale deal for the next three years, while Wembanyama is on his for the next two years.
The Spurs would get really expensive after a couple of seasons, and they might be able to keep that core together for a couple more seasons until Fox's expected new contract expires. Ultimately, if Giannis wants out and is willing to play for the Spurs, then they would be the perfect fit.