Small markets are taking the league by storm with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals. Why can't the Portland Trail Blazers get in on the fun?
Bleacher Report's Dan Favale named the Blazers as a dark horse to land Giannis Antetokounmpo. While it's highly unlikely the Greek Freak finds his way to Portland, the fact that they have Milwaukee's future draft picks gives them at least a non-zero chance of this pipe dream coming to fruition.
The Bucks would want their picks back in any Giannis trade involving the Blazers, but that would just be the beginning of what's required to land a top-three player in the world.
Blazers blow up their young core to land Giannis
Here's our Hail Mary offer:
Bucks receive: Deandre Ayton, Scoot Henderson, Donovan Clingan, Shaedon Sharpe, 2029 first-round pick (most favorable of Milwaukee, Portland, or Washington, unprotected), 2028 and 2030 Milwaukee swap rights extinguished, 2025 No. 11 overall pick, 2 second-round picks
Trail Blazers receive: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Pat Connaughton
Why the Bucks do this trade
The Bucks going all-in for Damian Lillard has backfired in more ways than one. They risk long-term purgatory if they stay the course and try to remain competitive with Giannis and an injured Lillard. This trade allows them to push the reset button.
They reacquire their picks, allowing them to effectively enter a rebuilding phase in their post-Giannis era. Between Sharpe, Henderson, Clingan, and the No. 11 pick, they also land Portland's four most recent lottery picks as building blocks to help jumpstart that rebuild.
Ayton is more of a salary filler in this deal, but between him and Clingan, the Bucks would finally have a legitimate solution for their most dire position of need, with Brook Lopez set to hit free agency at 37 years old.
The Bucks could even have their backcourt solidified if they are sold on Henderson and Sharpe reaching their high ceilings. They could then use Portland's No. 11 pick to select a wing forward such as Noa Essengue or Collin Murray-Boyles. Before you know it, they have a clear path to a future starting lineup and a much more promising long-term outlook.
This deal would give Milwaukee much to consider. Ultimately, the one thing that could make them hesitant to send Giannis to Rip City is the lack of a high-end asset that teams such as the San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, or Oklahoma City Thunder have to offer. It could come down to how highly they value Portland's young guards.
Why the Blazers do this trade
It's Giannis freaking Antetokounmpo. That's why the Blazers do this trade.
Yes, they sacrifice a lot of their young core in the process, but GM Joe Cronin has said that the Blazers have playoff aspirations next season. They are ready to accelerate their timeline after a promising end to the 2024-25 season, and there's no better player to help them achieve that goal than Giannis.
Their 15-win improvement was largely thanks to their trades for Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara, who have surprisingly emerged as Portland's core pieces, along with Clingan. They still manage to keep Avdija and Camara, and adding Giannis into the mix would form a versatile forward trio that would be switchable on the defensive end.
The Blazers value length, versatility, and athleticism. Their defensive versatility helps them get stops, which they turn into transition opportunities on the other end. Giannis would be a perfect fit for that style of play.
If they were to pull off this blockbuster offer, Portland could roll out a starting lineup of:
- PG: Anfernee Simons
- SG: Toumani Camara
- SF: Deni Avdija
- PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo
- C: Robert Williams III
Portland's center position would suddenly go from a strength to a weakness, but Giannis can also play the five should Robert Williams III, unfortunately, suffer another injury. Point guard depth would also be a concern, but Avdija and Giannis are more than capable of initiating the offense when needed. Making this trade also doesn't mean this would be their final roster, as they could make follow-up moves to address these issues.
Daryl Morey's five percent theory applies here. “If you've got even a five percent chance to win the title -- and that group includes a very small number of teams every year -- you've gotta be focused all on winning the title.”
At some point, the Blazers will have to make an aggresive move to land a superstar, as it's apparent they lack the star power to truly contend in the Western Conference. But it's a balancing act: once they go full throttle, they must ensure they are legitimate contenders.
There's no better option to push themselves into that tier than Giannis Antetokounmpo. And in Portland, he'd be surrounded by a cast of elite role players perfectly built to help him make a deep playoff run.