Everyone is expecting the Milwaukee Bucks to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo, but nothing is written in the stars just yet. Bucks fans have been down this road before, knowing that the Bucks could still look to make an aggressive swing to keep Giannis. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Jim Owczarski went on 105.7 The Fan and explained why not all hope is lost.
"If you're a Bucks fan and you're holding out hope, the hope is Jrue [Holiday] and Dame [Lillard] came out of nowhere. No one saw that coming. So if you're a Bucks fan, I would say, you could read the quiet as, 'It's a wrap. He's gone,' or you could read the quiet as, 'Jon Horst is going to pull some more rabbits.'"
An aggressive trade is still on the table
Jon Horst loves his big swings. The award-winning general manager has not been afraid to put his money where his mouth is when Giannis has flirted with leaving Milwaukee before, trading for Holiday and Lillard, as Owczarski mentioned. Both of those trades led to contract extensions soon after. Now, the Bucks are hoping Horst can work some more magic and do it again.
The question is who exactly the Milwaukee Bucks would go after. They were linked to guard Ja Morant leading up to the NBA Trade Deadline, but he might not exactly be a needle-mover. Would it make any sense for the Bucks to check in on Kawhi Leonard? He's an aging star, but if the Bucks want to prove to Giannis how all-in they are on the present, it would make sense.
Milwaukee will have assets to make a splash if they desire. Including the 10th overall pick in this draft, the Bucks have three picks they can trade this summer. That, paired with the salaries of Kyle Kuzma, Bobby Portis, and potentially even Myles Turner, could help the team land an impact player or two who could help the Bucks faithful forget about last year's woes very quickly.
The question, of course, again, revolves around who fits the billing.
Quiet can be good or bad here
As Owczarski mentioned, the Bucks don't talk much. When they want to make a big move, no one is aware until it's done. No one saw the moves for Holiday and Lillard coming, largely because they were not being talked about. Since the Bucks' move for Bogdan Bogdanovic got leaked and fell through, they seem to be tight-lipped about anything they have planned.
For now, Milwaukee Bucks fans will be left in suspense. Does Horst have a big move planned to get Giannis help? Has he already accepted defeat and is shuffling through the best return for Giannis? Only he and other members of the front office know. For the next few weeks leading up to the NBA Draft, all Bucks fans and the rest of the NBA can do is speculate.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.
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