The Portland Trail Blazers are far from a frontrunner in the potential Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes for a number of reasons, including their market size and rebuilding timeline. However, there is one unique connection between Portland and Milwaukee that could make them a sneaky dark horse to land the Greek Freak: the Damian Lillard trade.
Portland has Milwaukee's future draft capital, thanks to the lopsided Lillard deal, meaning they could cash it in as part of a substantial package to turn the NBA on its head and land a top-five player in the world.
It's certainly a pipe dream, as several things would have to go right -- Giannis actually requesting a trade and being open to playing in Portland (perhaps unfinished business with Damian Lillard?) are at the forefront of that. It also depends on what direction the Bucks' front office wants to take their roster in a potential post-Giannis era.
Blazers have unique leverage in the Giannis sweepstakes
Latest trade rumors (subscription required) actually work out in Portland's favor, with NBA insider Jake Fischer reporting that there are expectations around the league that Giannis' departure could trigger a fire sale in Milwaukee.
"Some teams out there think the post-Giannis Bucks would want to initiate a full-scale teardown that includes trading away veterans like the title-winning Bobby Portis, February acquisition Kyle Kuzma, and offseason addition Myles Turner," Fischer writes.
That's where the Blazers have leverage over the rest of the league: they have the Bucks' 2029 first-round pick, as well as swaps in 2028 and 2030. It would be counterproductive for Milwaukee to tear down its roster if it doesn't benefit from having the improved lottery odds that come from those losing seasons. Because of this, the Bucks should absolutely want their picks back to proactively avoid being in limbo.
To be clear, Portland giving Milwaukee its picks back to land Giannis is not the most likely scenario. It's more realistic to view the Blazers as a facilitator to help Giannis get to where he actually wants to go. That's still a valuable role for Portland to be in, as they could still add a valuable asset in such a deal.
Still, this latest report by Fischer should at least increase their non-zero chance of landing Giannis themselves.
The Blazers are in a golden position regardless of how this scenario unfolds. But Giannis requesting out and the Bucks then looking to enter a full-on teardown seems like the best-case scenario for Portland, as it gives them even more leverage in negotiations thanks to the increased value of those picks.