Jon Horst said weeks ago that the Milwaukee Bucks wanted to resolve the Giannis Antetokounmpo situation by the draft, which is less than a week away. They have the No. 10 pick as of right now, but it'd be ideal if they could add to that in a trade. Well, about that. Chris Haynes said on SiriusXM NBA Radio's "Deals and Dunks" that he's not as certain that something will happen before then.
"From what I'm hearing, this can drag on into free agency. This could drag on into July, so the Bucks aren't operating as if that is the 'deadline.' There isn't anything official yet on Giannis, as far as teams that are really in play that have made some momentum.... I still do ultimately believe he will be moved this offseason, but I'm not as certain as I was before that it will be done before the draft."
Haynes said it's as if things are back at square one with Antetokounmpo and Milwaukee, meaning that it could be a long summer.
The Bucks need to make sure that doesn't happen, as this year's draft class is stacked. It would give them the ammo they need to construct their post-Giannis future. They waited too long to trade him, but at least they could capitalize on the 2026 draft talent. Or will they?
Bucks need to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo before the draft
If Milwaukee sends its superstar to Miami, it's practically a certainty that they'd add the No. 13 pick to their arsenal. Having two lottery picks would reshape their draft strategy, a welcome change. They've reportedly been operating as if they will have more than one first-round pick, anyway.
There aren't many Bucks fans out there (if any) who are enthusiastic about an Antetokounmpo trade, but it feels more necessary than ever. They haven't had a whole lot to be excited about the past few years, but, almost ironically, trading Giannis and getting another first-round pick or two in this year's draft would give everyone a much brighter future to look forward to.
That won't be on the table if the trade saga goes into July. The Bucks could (and should) still acquire young talent regardless, but they would lose the power to choose which player/s best fit their needs on draft night. If this were a class that didn't look all that promising, that wouldn't be as big an issue as it could turn out to be.
Milwaukee needs to get some momentum going and facilitate a trade in time for the draft, so the No. 10 pick won't be the only one it has in the first round. The front office needs to use this opportunity to do that, rather than let it pass them by.
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