The Portland Trail Blazers would love to reunite Giannis Antetokounmpo with teammates Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard. In fact, Marc Stein (subscription required) reported that they have passed this info along to the Milwaukee Bucks. However, Stein notes that Giannis' camp has no interest in inking what will be a lucrative contract extension with the Trail Blazers, putting those hopes to bed.
Giannis tells Trail Blazers no thank you on a trade
Initially, Portland made sense as a Giannis suitor. Rumors have been swirling that the Greek Freak may enjoy reuniting with Jrue Holiday. Even if the teams never did anything special, Damian Lillard and the two-time MVP were a formidable one-two punch during their brief time together, so the thought of pairing up with him again could be desirable to Giannis.
Portland's assets would have also made some sense for Milwaukee to seek. Of course, they do hold some control of the Bucks' future picks from the Damian Lillard trade. They also have a collection of potential-filled young talent, including Deni Avdija, Scoot Henderson, Donovan Clingan, Toumani Camara, and more. Those are the type of young prospects the Bucks would love to have in a rebuild.
There's no telling exactly why Giannis wouldn't sign an extension with Portland, but perhaps it is his lack of belief in their ability to compete. Though the roster has potential, the Trail Blazers are 23-28, sitting 10th in the Western Conference. Even if he were to land there right now, the team would have to dig itself out of a massive hole to make the postseason, let alone a championship run.
Perhaps things would be somewhat different if Damian Lillard were healthy. Of course, during his time with the Bucks last season, he tore his Achilles and has been recovering ever since. He won't be back on the court anytime this year, so Giannis would have to wait. Even then, there's no guarantee that Damian Lillard is the same player he was pre-injury.
It was an interesting thought, but Giannis Antetokounmpo won't be a Trail Blazer. Based on all of the latest chatter, it feels like the Minnesota Timberwolves and Miami Heat are the two teams leading the trade race right now. There's still a decent chance Giannis sticks in Milwaukee, and all of this drags out into the summer, but if he's going elsewhere, it will not be to Portland.
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