The Brooklyn Nets aren’t hiding their intentions anymore. Milwaukee Bucks superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is their dream target. And they have the assets to make a run at him when the time comes.
According to Brian Lewis of The New York Post, the Nets’ entire roster-building strategy revolves around the possibility of Giannis becoming available. And with Milwaukee’s season teetering, Brooklyn is preparing for its moment to strike if it ever comes, whether this coming offseason or ahead of the trade deadline.
“If Antetokounmpo gets traded elsewhere this summer, that may make GM Sean Marks’ path simple, tanking for another year and building through the lottery," Lewis writes.
“But what happens if the two-time MVP is in Milwaukee past the June draft, when Marks usually makes his biggest moves? Are potential lesser targets like Ja Morant, Domantas Sabonis, Trae Young or LaMelo Ball worth emptying the proverbial clip for if it means abandoning all hope for the Greek Freak?”
The Nets are keeping an eye on Giannis Antetokounmpo
Brooklyn has the war chest to make a serious run at Giannis. Multiple future first-round picks. Young talent. Veteran contracts that could be useful in a deal. The Nets don’t have a superstar centerpiece to offer, but they have the flexibility to put together a compelling package, and more importantly, they have the patience to take their time before having a go at the Greek Freak.
For now, Milwaukee is obviously committed to trying to put a championship roster around its two-time MVP. Antetokounmpo signed an extension shortly after the Bucks traded for Damian Lillard to maximize their title window.
However, priorities change quickly in this association. Milwaukee's season is likely not going to end the way this team was hoping for when it began.
Damian Lillard and Bobby Portis are still out of commission with just a few games remaining. In just the span of two weeks, the Bucks fell from the fourth seed to the sixth. And their playoff hopes are growing dimmer by the day: they're currently 12th in net rating and are in the middle of the pack on both ends of the floor.
Their acquisitions ahead of this campaign, which looked like the steals of the offseason at the time considering what they had to cough up, don't look like the difference-making pieces we thought. And their trade deadline landings are taking time to put it together in their new environment. Doc Rivers looks nowhere close to being the stabilizing presence that was promised post-Adrian Griffin.
Reality is starting to creep in, and it's not one that favors this team at all.
If this season ends in disaster — which it very well may, considering the circumstances — fans are going to find the conversation potentially shifting faster than we anticipate.
And Brooklyn knows it.
The Nets aren’t the only team waiting in the wings. The entire league will be monitoring the Milwaukee Bucks’ situation. But if Giannis ever becomes available, Brooklyn is positioned as well as anyone to strike. And the Greek Freak takes them from the bottom of the standings to the playoffs easily.
If the front office decides that it's time for Giannis Antetokounmpo to go, this will clearly signal the end of an era in Milwaukee. But considering the assets that Brooklyn can put together in return, it's also going to signal the start of another. Whatever they would get back, it would help them start fresh from the ground up.
There are obviously way too many moving parts to consider in this post-Giannis situation, but any competent front office would have to do its due diligence in considering all the options and possibilities on the table for them.
It can absolutely happen, and perhaps there's a world where it does. Brooklyn just needs Milwaukee to crack first.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis going forward.