The Milwaukee Bucks are finally ready to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo after the Greek superstar publicly asked for a trade, per ESPN's Shams Charania. Yet the team that truly holds all of the cards, and thus has the most power to shape where Giannis ends up, is the Portland Trail Blazers.
That doesn't mean, somewhat surprisingly, that the Trail Blazers are likely to trade for Antetokounmpo. The two best players on the roster are Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara, the former being on track to make his first All-Star Game and is a strong canddiate to win Most Improved Player. They need to find an elite wing, not double up on power forwards.
That isn't to say they couldn't shock the world and trade for Giannis, but they are not particularly likely to. Instead, another team will end up securing the winning bid for the two-time league MVP. But to do so, they will need Portland's permission.
Teams interested in Giannis are doing everything they can to scrounge up the best possible trade package. They are checking under couch cushions, calling in favors, writing home to mom. The teams with the most assets to trade are likely going to keep the powder dry, while the teams most interested in Giannis are limited in what they can offer.
To win the day, a team needs something undeniable. A trade offer that Milwaukee looks at and cannot look away. And unless the Atlanta Hawks are willing to trade the New Orleans Pelicans' unprotected first, the best such gemstones for a team to include in their trade offer are the Bucks' own future draft picks.
And no one has more of those than Portland.
Portland controls the Giannis trade market
The New York Knicks are dying to get their hands on Giannis Antetokounmpo, but they jettisoned all of their future draft capital to land Mikal Bridges. Their solution? Trade Bridges to another team to get enough draft picks to afford Antetokounmpo.
That's the impetus for the latest rumors swirling around Portland, where they would land Bridges, or Karl-Anthony Towns, or both Bridges and Towns in exchange for some of those juicy Milwaukee picks. They pick up a talented veteran, they pass along just what New York needs to land Giannis.
Back in December, we discussed on the site another option: the Los Angeles Lakers coming to call with Austin Reaves in hand. The Blazers land their offensive star of the future to pair with Avdija, and in return, they give the Lakers what they need to go and trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Win-win.
Do the Miami Heat want Giannis? Then they had better hope the Blazers want Tyler Herro. Do the Toronto Raptors or Dallas Mavericks have any hope of making a competitive offer? Call Portland first. The carrot that will best entice the Bucks to bite is going to come from the Blazers.
That doesn't mean that Portland will absolutely pull off a trade; if they don't like the offers coming to them, they might hold onto them, especially if Giannis is being moved. The value of those picks continues to go up. Yet just by deciding to stay out of the sweepstakes shifts the landscape for who will win the sweepstakes. And if they pivot and get involved, suddenly they choose the winner.
Giannis Antetokounmpo just made the Portland Trail Blazers the most powerful team at the Trade Deadline.