One could make the argument that Giannis Antetokounmpo is the best player in the world right now. As he prepares for his 11th NBA season with the Milwaukee Bucks, the two-time MVP is not in the news for his talents nor his team's ambitions for the upcoming season. The talk surrounding Giannis is instead focused on what his future is looking like, a future that could possibly take place outside of Milwaukee.
At 28 years old, Antetokounmpo has accomplished pretty much everything there is to achieve as a basketball player. He was recently named to the league's 75th-anniversary team a couple of seasons ago, plus he's been the league's Most Improved Player and the Defensive Player of the Year. Most importantly, he's won two regular season MVP awards, as well as the 2021 Finals MVP award.
If he were to retire today, it is likely that Giannis would be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Retirement is not on the seven-time All-Star's mind, though, as he is just now entering the prime of his career with some major contract decisions looming.
Aside from having to worry a little bit about the offseason knee surgery he had done that is keeping Antetokounmpo sidelined from the FIBA World Cup, the Bucks should definitely be concerned about what their superstar said recently regarding a possible long-term extension.
“The real question’s not going to be this year — numbers-wise it doesn’t make sense,” Antetokounmpo said in an interview with The New York Times. “But next year, next summer it would make more sense for both parties. Even then, I don’t know… I would not be the best version of myself if I don’t know that everybody’s (Bucks) on the same page, everybody’s going for a championship, everybody’s going to sacrifice time away from their family like I do. And if I don’t feel that, I’m not signing.”
Currently eligible for an extension right now, Antetokounmpo has made it known that he will not be signing any new deal before the start of the 2023-24 season. Based on what was said above, it seems like he is having doubts about whether he will even sign a new extension with the Bucks. The clock is ticking and his current five-year, $228 million contract is running out of time.
Players like Giannis do not come around every day and by this time next offseason, he will be 29 years old with his 30th birthday on the horizon in December 2024. If he is available and open to exploring new opportunities outside of Milwaukee, the other 29 teams in the NBA will be lining up to try and lure the future Hall of Famer away from the Bucks.
Not every team will own an equal chance in their pursuit of Antetokounmpo, which is why these are the five teams in the best position to try and steal him from the Bucks.
New York Knicks
The bright lights of New York City, a passionate fan base that loves their basketball, and the ability to play in Madison Square Garden for every single home game. This is what comes with being a member of the New York Knicks.
While they have lived at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings for quite some time, the Knicks have proven that they have what it takes to be real competitors. In fact, the 2023-24 season has a chance to be a special one for this franchise, as they are looking to win 50-plus games for the first time since the 2012-13 season.
There is a lot of hype surrounding this organization right now and they have quietly been in the perfect spot to land a big-name star in recent years. The Knicks own cap flexibility, they are on the rise in the East, and one thing many don't necessarily know about them is that New York has been stockpiling draft assets every offseason.
Why would a team be adding more and more future draft capital every year when they are trying to win right now you may ask?
The answer is simple: the Knicks have a plan and it includes landing a Top 10 talent in the league.
New York has already been mentioned as a team with rumored interest in Antetokounmpo and as far as bringing in a player who can compete for the league's MVP award, the Knicks have also been linked to Philadelphia 76ers reining MVP Joel Embiid.
It is unlikely that they could land both Giannis and Embiid, but the idea of the Knicks going “all-in” and pursuing one of these stars in the next year or two is very realistic. There is no bigger market in professional sports than New York and the business opportunities that would present themselves to Giannis as a result would be vast. This is yet another reason why this organization could be an attractive destination.
Looking ahead, the Knicks are in one of the better positions out of any team in the league when it comes to a potential sign-and-trade deal involving Antetokounmpo in either 2025 or 2026 given the assets they own on their roster in Julius Randle, RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and others.
Oklahoma City Thunder
We mentioned the Knicks stockpiling draft assets, but the Oklahoma City Thunder can literally form two new expansion teams given the amount of draft capital they own. GM Sam Presti is a wizard when it comes to finessing the rest of the league out of their future draft picks and it is just a matter of time before the Thunder's rebuild turns into them owning the league's best roster again.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a breakout 2022-23 campaign that not only resulted in him being named an All-Star for the first time in his career, but he ranked fourth in the league in scoring. Moving forward, it is not hard to believe that he is going to be considered a candidate for the league's MVP award, especially since he is only 25 years old and a Top 5 isolation scorer in the NBA.
Outside of SGA, the Thunder have an all-around contributor in Josh Giddey, they have a defensive-stopper in Luguentz Dort, they have Chet Holmgren set to make his rookie debut this upcoming year and a lot more potential resides on this roster in Jalen Williams, Ousmane Dieng and rookie Cason Wallace.
Aside from all of the draft picks they own over the next several years, the Thunder also have a lot of cap flexibility. Gilgeous-Alexander, Dort, and Holmgren are all under contract long-term and if Giannis was to opt out of his player option ahead of the 2025-26 season, Oklahoma City would have the ability to add a supermax contract like the one Antetokounmpo would be getting.
Call me crazy, but I have been saying for years that Presti and the Thunder are going to make a big move with all of their draft picks. Oklahoma City is on the rise in the Western Conference and they are likely going to end their three-year playoff drought this upcoming season. This is why the Thunder are suddenly becoming an interesting destination for upcoming free agents.
If there was any team in the league that could throw the best trade package at the Bucks for Giannis today, it would be the Thunder.
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are one of the most historic franchises in NBA history next to the likes of the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics. Their five championships are the fourth-most in league history and it will not be long until this organization finds itself back in the postseason.
Making the playoffs every single year from 1998-2019, the Spurs have been eliminated from postseason contention in each of the last four seasons, their longest playoff drought ever. Gregg Popovich is still around and quite honestly, he may not be done coaching any time soon. The blueprint to success is there for the taking in San Antonio and everything for them starts with Victor Wembanyama.
Drafted first overall this summer, Wembanyama enters the league with many calling him the best prospect since LeBron James in 2003. Standing 7'4″ with an 8'0″ wingspan, the French phenom can be his team's main facilitator and ball-handler, plus he can score from anywhere on the court. He is truly unique and the NBA has never seen a player like him.
Wembanyama is going to instantly make the Spurs a better team and he will lead a roster highlighted by Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell, Tre Jones, and Jeremy Sochan, all of which are young talents on the rise.
If he was to consider the Spurs as a real destination, Antetokounmpo would be the veteran leader of a youthful team that would be able to sustain success for at least the next decade. Not to mention, he would be able to play alongside Wembanyama, instantly creating the league's best duo that would be impossible to stop on both ends of the floor given their length.
The Spurs are going to be getting an All-Star at some point to pair with their young big man. Could Antetokounmpo be the player they leverage their future for?
Los Angeles Lakers
If New York is the biggest market in the sports world, then Los Angeles is right behind them in the No. 2 spot. From business opportunities to living out in sunny L.A. to being a part of arguably the most historic sports franchise in the United States, the Los Angeles Lakers will absolutely be in the running for Giannis Antetokounmpo if he becomes available.
The Lakers have never been afraid to “buy” their teams and while they do not necessarily have cap space right now, they will by the time Giannis has to make a decision on his contract situation.
Everything for Los Angeles and their future depends on what LeBron James decides to do moving forward. They will keep him as the face of their franchise as long as he wants to be playing in the NBA, but his contract is up following the 2024-25 season, possibly after this upcoming 2023-24 season if he is to opt out of his $51.4 million player option next summer.
The cap flexibility the Lakers have is dependent on James and he would most definitely be willing to accept less money if it meant that the team could land the Bucks' superstar. Whether or not Giannis would want to play in Los Angeles is a completely separate question.
Antetokounmpo has always been the type of player who takes pride in establishing a legacy and building something out of nothing, much like he has done in Milwaukee. The Lakers are already established and many may be quick to criticize him for such a move, which could deter the star from looking at Los Angeles as a real suitor.
From a trade perspective, this is also where things could get difficult in terms of pursuing him. Los Angeles is not going to be trading Anthony Davis or Austin Reaves, which puts them in a bind financially based on how they can match Antetokounmpo's salary.
The only way the Lakers can realistically land Giannis is if he was to become an unrestricted free agent and they sign him outright, something that has become rare with All-Star free agents given that they can make more money in sign-and-trade deals.
Golden State Warriors
The one team the Bucks should be extremely scared of when it comes to Giannis Antetokounmpo possibly looking to continue his career elsewhere is the Golden State Warriors. Landing Kevin Durant in 2016 was no fluke and the Warriors' ownership is never afraid to spend a lot of money if it means they can land one of the best talents in the world.
Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green are getting older. They recently won the 2022 NBA Finals for their fourth title since 2015, but all three stars are nearing the last four, five, maybe six productive years of their respective careers. Golden State needs to have a long-term plan on who the face of the franchise will be after Steph, and Giannis has quietly been mentioned as the next star this organization will pursue.
There was talk of Golden State possibly getting ready to target Antetokounmpo before he signed his extension with the Bucks in 2020 and there have been little hints dropped through the years signaling that mutual interest could exist.
Steph and Giannis have always been close when playing aside one another during All-Star weekend, the Bucks two-time MVP called Curry the “best player in the world” during media day this past season, and even Warriors' head coach Steve Kerr has praised Giannis, claiming that the league is “so lucky” to have a guy like him.
On top of all of this, Giannis himself has come out and stated that he wants to win at the highest level possible and create a legacy like the one Curry has created for himself.
He obviously thinks Steph is the best player in the world and wants to model his career after Steph's, so from Antetokounmpo's perspective, why not go to the Warriors and win more championships alongside the player you think so highly of?
Financially, Golden State has been a historic taxpaying team in recent years and there is no way they could bring in a $50 million to $60 million contract… right?
Well, they won't have to worry about Chris Paul's contract after this season and Thompson is going to be a free agent next summer. Andrew Wiggins and Green both have player options for the 2026-27 season and Curry will be an unrestricted free agent in 2026. While unlikely, it is possible that the Warriors could set up Thompson's next contract to give them some relief and flexibility ahead of 2025, a year in which Antetokounmpo could opt out of his contract to become a free agent.
There is also the possibility of the Warriors putting assets together to acquire Antetokounmpo in a trade, though this could end up being a little more tricky if Thompson were to sign a new long-term deal with the team between now and next offseason.
The fact of the matter here is that Golden State has built a dynasty through the years and they are not prepared to see it end with Curry, Thompson, and Green. This organization wants to and will put itself in a position to win championships for many years to come, which is why it would likely do everything it could to pursue Giannis if he is to become a free agent.
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