The Portland Trail Blazers, like most NBA teams, would love to get Giannis Antetokounmpo on their payroll this summer. However, per The Athletic's Sam Amick and Eric Nehm (subscription required), Giannis is believed to want to join a ready-made contender. Even with Giannis, as the article points out, the Trail Blazers may not reach that top-tier status, which could discourage the forward.
Giannis to Portland feels unlikely
On paper, the idea of Giannis in Portland makes plenty of sense. He loves playing with Jrue Holiday. Damian Lillard and Antetokounmpo were one of the most productive duos in the NBA in Milwaukee. Portland has a rising All-Star in Deni Avdija. Landing one of the best players in the entire NBA would form quite the core four.
Yet, outside of that quartet, the Trail Blazers could have a hard time filling out the rest of their roster. Today's NBA is all about depth and having as many playable pieces as possible. That comes through drafting good players and finding hidden gems, not trading for superstars who will require gutting the roster and hoping for the best.
Even if the Trail Blazers pitched Giannis on being a contender next season, the insiders report that it is believed the two-time MVP wants to stay in the Eastern Conference. Whether that is due to talent levels in the East and West, the closer flights to Greece, or whatever else, it puts Portland at a major disadvantage if they want Giannis to sign off on a trade.
They should start putting together backup plans.
Trail Blazers should be involved in a Giannis trade
Even if Giannis won't agree to land in Portland, the Trail Blazers should look to be one of the teams in any conversations.
Possessing a good amount of Milwaukee's draft capital, perhaps they could net an upgrade and send picks to the Bucks. One scenario floating around is Giannis landing with the Boston Celtics, who send Jaylen Brown to Portland, while the Milwaukee Bucks acquire picks and salary filler from both sides to restock their dried-up asset well.
It's not perfect, but it makes more sense than a straight-up Giannis to Portland trade, given the talk of him potentially wanting to stay in the East. Some would argue that a smaller move would make more sense for Portland, giving them more flexibility to make moves and fill out the roster rather than put all of their eggs in one star-hunting basket.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.
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