As Giannis Antetokounmpo trade talks continue to heat up, the Portland Trail Blazers' role as a facilitator is becoming increasingly more apparent. And it leaves them with one obvious next step: cash in Milwaukee's picks for a star.
Although they don't make sense as a landing spot for Giannis, the Trail Blazers and New Orleans Pelicans hold the keys to the sweepstakes. NBA insider Jake Fischer recently reported that should the Bucks trade Giannis, they could include the Trail Blazers or Pelicans in a multi-team trade to recoup draft capital.
That makes perfect sense, as Milwaukee would be better off embracing a full-on rebuild at that point, similar to how the Brooklyn Nets managed to get their picks back from the Houston Rockets, which they previously sent to acquire James Harden.
Facilitating a Giannis blockbuster is Blazers’ clearest path to a star
The Trail Blazers should be rooting for a Giannis trade to materialize, as they have tremendous leverage. Thanks to the Damian Lillard trade, Portland has Milwaukee's unprotected 2029 first-round pick and swaps in 2028 and 2030. They have a golden opportunity to turn this draft capital into a true building block and potentially even the go-to star they are still seeking.
Teams loaded with assets that could make a run at Giannis include the San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, and Oklahoma City Thunder, but there are a few dark horse candidates that can't be ruled out entirely, such as the Dallas Mavericks, Toronto Raptors, and Brooklyn Nets.
Unless the trade involves more than three teams, the Trail Blazers will be limited to these teams to land their player worthy of parting ways with Milwaukee's valuable draft capital. The good news is that there's a reason these teams are in the running for the Giannis sweepstakes, as they have plenty of enticing young assets to offer.
Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report recently covered how the Trail Blazers could benefit from a Giannis trade, writing, "This could give Portland an opportunity to offer Milwaukee a life raft and peel off whoever the premier young blue-chip prospect is in the trade (think Franz Wagner, Jalen Williams or Amen Thompson if one of their teams is the one trading for him)."
It would be surprising if Orlando was in the running for Giannis, and Williams and Thompson still seem like a pipe dream for the Trail Blazers (I'm not sure I would give up either if I were in their position). However, the fact that Highkin specifically named them gives us at least some semblance of hope that Portland could acquire that caliber of player.
The Blazers have an underrated amount of depth on their roster but still lack the star power to compete in the Western Conference. And thanks to Milwaukee's recent downfall, their best bet to acquire that missing star this summer will come from the draft capital they landed in the Lillard trade.