Paul Pierce teased a blockbuster trade involving the Milwaukee Bucks and Oklahoma City Thunder. The NBA legend spoke about Giannis Antetokounmpo potentially leaving Milwaukee on his podcast “Ticket & The Truth” with fellow all-time great Kevin Garnett. The Bucks have been struggling significantly under Doc Rivers despite the stellar play from the “Greek Freak” and Damian Lillard.
The two all-time greats had a long back-and-forth about whether the Bucks should consider trading their best player. Pierce eventually warmed up to the idea of Milwaukee reaching out to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Arguing the trade from OKC's perspective, the Celtics legend summed up how the Thunder should approach these negotiations.
“If they could trade some first-round picks. You know what, we'll give y'all Jalen (Williams) and some picks. We'll give you five picks, and you can take anybody except Chet and Shai. If he (Giannis) demands a trade, they're going to be set back. You don't want to lose him and not get the foundation that can help you into the future, and OKC's got that.”
The Bucks-Giannis Antetokounmpo partnership is on the brink
Giannis' ominous joke before the season has sparked trade rumors for the past few weeks. The Bucks' 2-7 start hasn't tempered those sirens, especially for a team that entered the season with title expectations. While the season is early, the Bucks look far from championship form, as many issues from last year's team are showing up again. This includes Milwaukee's lackluster defense, which currently ranks 24th in the league in team efficiency. It's clear that the absence of Jrue Holiday still looms.
On the other hand, the Oklahoma City Thunder are off to a stellar start, tied for first in the Western Conference. At 8-1 overall, OKC has led the league in defensive efficiency. Riding high off of a blowout win over the Rockets, the Thunder are legit title contenders this year, but they have a ton of draft picks that they will either have to use or trade very soon. Oklahoma City's general manager, Sam Presti, has ten first-round picks over the next three years.
Despite these assets, the Thunder have been pretty conservative with their transactions so far, even with the recent trade for Alex Caruso. But Giannis Antetokounmpo is a generational talent who can put OKC on the verge of being the NBA's next dynasty.
Paul Pierce's blockbuster trade proposal is intriguing for the Bucks, should things continue to go south. The Thunder are not an Eastern Conference rival and have the assets that can turn Milwaukee into a franchise with one of the brightest futures in the league. At the moment, though, especially as Khris Middleton gets closer to returning, the Bucks will most likely stand pact for the foreseeable future.
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