Anyone paying attention knows it feels like only two names have been taken seriously in this Giannis Antetokounmpo saga in the past week: the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat.
But one thing pundits are missing is that other teams still have a strong a case as any, even if the aforementioned clubs are the best positioned to land the Greek Freak. Boston and Miami are the vocal, visible frontrunners at the moment, sure, but it's still entirely possible for other teams to swoop in. That's according to NBA insider Marc Stein over the ALL NBA Podcast recently.
"Portland feels like a real wild card for me. But a lot of these big trades that have happened over the last year, it has come out of nowhere where there's been a surprise team and everybody's this is going to be the thing that happens and then all of a sudden there's a huge curveball," Stein said.
"Both of those teams seem to have the assets to make an aggressive offer. They're in the East, all of those things. But I just wonder if there if this is one of those things that develops really quickly."
The Bucks can't get tunnel vision over the main Giannis suitors
Think back to the league-shifting moves of the past few years. From LeBron James to Luka Doncic, from Kevin Durant to even Damian Lillard going to the Bucks, these were mostly deals that materialized out of the ether, leaving pundits and fans scrambling to catch up.
It makes sense, of course, for the majority to center on Boston and Miami. Giannis' own preferences had a lot to do with it, as he's said on separate occasions that he wants to compete while also staying in the East. It also makes sense that any team that trades for Giannis would want some assurance that they can get him to stay long term.
Meanwhile, on the Bucks' part, they've said that their asking price is blue-chip young talent and significant draft compensation to help them jumpstart a rebuild.
Among the vocal organizations out to get him, only those two fit the criteria that Giannis is looking for while holding the capital that Jon Horst is looking for. Everybody wins if the trade ends up being with one of these two teams. Add to that the fact that Boston has supposedly already made an offer while Miami has seemed more than willing to beef up theirs, and it makes perfect sense why they're the front runners.
But the reality is there are more than just two suitors.
There are absolutely other Giannis suitors waiting on the periphery to consider in this situation, which, according to NBA insider Sam Amick of The Athletic (subscription required), includes the likes of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Portland Trail Blazers, and the Orlando Magic.
We’ve seen it before: a team decides that talent acquisition is more important than asking for permission, and they move with lightning speed to corner the market.
Giannis' preferences won't matter as much as people think when the trade finally goes down
One reason for this is that the Bucks don't owe Antetokounmpo the privilege of sending him where he wishes. Because a team that's about to lose its franchise player should put itself and its future first. And they should be going wherever the market dictates. Who among this roster of suitors is willing to give up the most favorable package?
"This is the gamble. There are other teams. I mean, an Oklahoma City or even a Cleveland. those teams. Giannis has not stated he would want to go there. It seems like he's signaling he would not want to go there. But the truth is if a team were to make that bet, they would be betting on, yeah, but how bad do you want to win?" Stein also said.
This is only to say that the noise about "frontrunners" is just that. The Giannis Antetokounmpo situation isn't a slow-moving bidding war between two East rivals. And if history is any guide, the team that actually lands him won't be the one we’ve been talking about for the last month. The curveball could be coming sooner than anyone expects.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.
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