If Giannis Antetokounmpo gets traded soon, it seemingly won't be to Oklahoma City, San Antonio, or Houston. Per NBA insider Marc Stein (subscription required), there is a "growing belief" that none of those three will join the pursuit of Antetokounmpo if he is made available. That's bad news for the Milwaukee Bucks, given what those three teams could offer in a potential deal.
Thunder, Spurs, and Rockets won't join the Giannis chase
If the Milwaukee Bucks begin fielding trade pitches for Giannis, their ask in a return package will be crystal clear. They will ask teams for potential-filled young players and as much draft capital as they can get. All three of those teams having bountiful amounts of both assets made them desirable in any Giannis scenarios.
San Antonio could have offered Dylan Harper or Stephon Castle and picks. Houston could have dealt Amen Thompson or Alperen Sengun and picks. OKC could have packaged Jalen Williams or Chet Holmgren and a treasure chest of draft picks. Any of those potential offers would have been a good starting point for Milwaukee in a post-Giannis scenario.
Yet, understandably, all of those teams are comfortable where they are at. San Antonio just got Victor Wembanyama back and feel like they have a great core. The Rockets think they can compete with just about anyone as is. The Thunder have two losses on the year. Blowing up their current grooves to add a superstar may sound nice on paper, but it's far easier said than done integrating a piece that big.
If these three are declaring themselves out, it severely limits the market. Of course, teams like New York, Miami, and Golden State will surely be in the hunt, but they cannot offer Milwaukee packages quite as desirable. The goal for the Bucks is to get as good of a return as possible, not to get rid of their franchise player for pennies on the dollar just to get rid of him.
It must also be noted that Stein said the Milwaukee Bucks are telling teams that Giannis is not on the trade market right now. The team is operating as if they would like to keep him. However, with losses piling up, notably once again Sunday night with an embarrassing 45-point loss to the Brooklyn Nets, the Greek Freak might not think the ship is salvageable by the time he returns.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.