The Milwaukee Bucks have not been subtle about their intention to add talent in a last-ditch effort to keep Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Atlanta Hawks, in the middle of a disappointing season, now appear open to trading star guard Trae Young. Are you ready to get nuts? NBA insider Jake Fischer of The Stein Line recently discussed the possibility of a Trae-to-Milwaukee deal on a Bleacher Report YouTube stream, saying:
It's a fair question because I think the Bucks are looking at quite literally everybody. If they're not selling Giannis, and they're looking to be buyers, they have to canvass the entire league... Trae Young would fit a very similar mold to what Damian Lillard did in Milwaukee... You have to think Milwaukee is considering that..."
Fischer also added that he personally foresees the Bucks shopping around "the 35-38 million dollar contracts" instead of having to give up multiple rotation players to make a Young deal work.
My take? Get Trae. Desperate times call for desperate trades, and an unhappy Giannis is about as desperate a time as I can imagine for the Bucks. Give up whomever necessary to get the deal done. Gut the whole lineup. Trade all the picks. If the starting lineup is Giannis, Trae, and three broomsticks with volleyball heads in Bucks jerseys, that's still a win if Giannis is happy.
Adding Trae Young is the Bucks best chance to keep Giannis happy
Trae Young could be a restricted free agent this summer. He has a $48 million player option (and it would probably behoove him to opt into that deal and try to raise his public perception in 2026-27), but adding him would be a huge risk, especially for what it would cost.
Still. Make. The. Deal. Imagine this; the Bucks can either trade for Young and negotiate a long-term deal with him this summer, pairing him with Giannis for years to come, or they could pass on a trade because of the possibility of him opting out this summer and heading elsewhere.
The first option gives the Bucks a real chance at the guard-big man combo they thought they were getting with Giannis and Dame. The second option makes a Giannis trade request much more realistic. It doesn't seem like too difficult a choice in my view.
And yes, making a trade for Young doesn't guarantee that Giannis will ask out, and not making the trade doesn't guarantee that he will. But Giannis has said time and again that he wants to see the front office give him a chance to win at a high level. With all due respect to Jerami Grant or Jonathan Kuminga, those are not the moves that would grant Giannis' wish.
Trae Young's value has become massively skewed around the league, to the point where the biggest roadblock in any potential deal appears to be that no one wants to acquire him. That's baffling. If the Bucks are serious about satisfying Giannis, this is the move to make. Full stop.