The Milwaukee Bucks made the controversial decision to keep Giannis Antetokounmpo past the 2026 NBA trade deadline and revisit his future over the summer. The prevailing thought was that Milwaukee was waiting until potential suitors had more draft capital to negotiate with. Unfortunately, the adverse effect of such a strategy appears to be Kawhi Leonard potentially rivaling or even usurping Antetokounmpo as the top player on the open market.
According to Michael Scott of HoopsHype, if the LA Clippers make Leonard available in trade negotiations, he would be "neck-and-neck" with Antetokounmpo as the NBA's top trade target.
"With the Clippers trending towards a youth movement in their recent blockbuster transactions, rival executives are monitoring Leonard’s future closely as the seven-time All-Star turns 35 in June. In fact, several executives have put Leonard and Giannis Antetokounmpo neck-and-neck for the best player to try to acquire on the trade market if Leonard indeed becomes available."
In turn, the Bucks could miss out on what they deem to be the ideal return if the team they prefer to negotiate with—whomever it may be—prioritizes Leonard over Antetokounmpo as a trade target.
Rumor: Kawhi "neck-and-neck" with Giannis for best trade target
As a hypothetical example, suppose the Bucks were to decide that the Miami Heat are best equipped to meet their demands for a dream trade return in an Antetokounmpo deal. If Miami were to then trade for Leonard instead, then Milwaukee would have to prioritize the second-best offer it's received.
The Bucks could still end up with a tremendous return for Antetokounmpo, of course, but in that scenario, a secondary risk exists: The second-best offer could be trimmed based on the package the Clippers receive for Leonard.
Potential suitors could wait out the Leonard trade saga and base the magnitude of their offer on what the Clippers receive for their superstar. If LA trades Leonard for a package that's at a lower level than what Milwaukee wants for Antetokounmpo, the Bucks could lose considerable leverage.
That could greatly diminish the return that Antetokounmpo yields, or at least delay the process enough to prohibit the Bucks from having the clarity they need—let alone the financial flexibility they could gain in a trade—entering free agency.
The hope must thus be that Antetokounmpo is either established as the clear No. 1 or that Leonard is traded for a hefty package. Either outcome would enable Milwaukee to stand firmly on its demands. The hurdle in either scenario, however, could still be that not every team shares the same perspective.
With this in mind, one simply can't help but wonder if the Bucks should've traded Antetokounmpo when there wasn't another Hall of Famer on the open market.
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