Alternate 2013 NBA Draft: Milwaukee Bucks Select…
By Adam McGee
Oct 23, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward
Giannis Antetokounmpo(34) loses control of the ball in front of Minnesota Timberwolves center
Karl-Anthony Towns(32) in the second quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
The Milwaukee Bucks are on the clock with the 15th pick of the 2013 NBA Draft. There are disappointed groans in the war room, as the player who they had their hearts set on selecting has gone elsewhere one pick before them. Giannis Antetokounmpo has been drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Who do the Bucks select now? What seems like the best option?
As much as all of that seems like a horrible nightmare, it’s a scenario that could have very easily played out as reality it seems. As Zach Lowe made his long awaited return to writing yesterday with his debut over on the ESPN main site, he dropped a nugget that would have shocked Bucks and T-Wolves fans alike.
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"They (Minnesota) nearly picked Giannis Antetokounmpo over Muhammad before settling on Muhammad as the clock was ticking in the draft room, per several sources."
If this had actually come to light, there’s no knowing where exactly the Bucks would be with their rebuild right now. At that time in the draft, there was no other player left on the board who has since proven themselves to be worthy of building around in the same way that the Greek Freak has.
Who knows, the Bucks may have had to shake things up a whole lot earlier than they did in other departments too, potentially exploring trades such as this one that was touted on the morning of that draft.
Bucks are letting it be known that Brandon Jennings is available for the right price.
— Gery Woelfel (@GeryWoelfel) June 27, 2013
If Jennings was traded at that point, Brandon Knight may never have come to Milwaukee which also means no Khris Middleton, and then as a knock on from that Michael Carter-Williams may never have arrived.
The Bucks may have pulled off a move that made them a little better in the short term, meaning no second overall pick, no Jabari Parker, and maybe not enough pieces to persuade Greg Monroe to join as a free agent.
Would Jason Kidd have ended up as coach? Would the sale to the current ownership even have transpired? That’s a whole lot of questions that don’t really bear thinking about.
What we will explore is who the team could have selected if the Greek Freak was not an option though.
Let’s get down to it.
Next: Sergey Karasev