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While the chances of the Milwaukee Bucks trading Giannis Antetokounmpo look slim right now, there's very little this franchise can do to build a championship-contending supporting cast around its superstar. Milwaukee has traded a first-round pick or allowed swap rights for these selections for the next six years, and the team does not have much cap space to fill out the rest of its roster.
In addition, Damian Lillard is currently recuperating from a torn Achilles, which should keep him out most of next season at 34 years old. The Eastern Conference, on paper, does appear to be more open than usual, with Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum also recuperating from the same injury. That being said, the Indiana Pacers are reshaping the public's perception of them during this playoff run and can bring back the same core for next season. It hurts for the Bucks to say they are nowhere near competing with a team like Indiana.
Therefore, the calls for Milwaukee to trade one of its greatest players are warranted, but it must be for the right price. In contrast to the Bucks, the Detroit Pistons are a young, exciting team coming off a tremendous redemption season. The Pistons are just a year removed from posting the worst losing streak in NBA history, but now have a young, talented core to build around for the foreseeable future. It starts with Cade Cunningham, who showed he can be the best player on a playoff team this past season.
The 23-year-old was named to his first All-Star team, carrying this form into the postseason. The Pistons lost a thrilling six-game series to the New York Knicks, showing signs of a team that could be contending sooner rather than later. ESPN ultimately recommended that Detroit speed up that championship window a few days ago. And a closer inspection of this deal would make the Pistons one of the favorites in the Eastern Conference. Unfortunately, the justification of this transaction for Milwaukee is a stretch.
ESPN's hypothetical Giannis Antetokounmpo Pistons-Bucks trade
Pistons trade: Tobias Harris, Jaden Ivey, Isaiah Stewart, 2027 first-round pick, 2029 first-round pick, 2031 first-round pick
Bucks trade: Giannis Antetokounmpo
ESPN's Chris Herring made the following argument for this transaction from both the Bucks' and Pistons' perspectives:
“With the Cavaliers and Celtics up against the restrictive second apron and likely needing to cut salary (and Boston without the rehabbing Jayson Tatum), and the Knicks undergoing changes of their own, the contending class of the East is as open as it's been in a while. The Pistons, making their first playoff appearance in six years, looked evenly matched with New York in a highly competitive first round. Adding a player of Antetokounmpo's ilk would speed up the timeline but also give All-NBA guard Cade Cunningham and the Pistons a real shot in the East sooner rather than later.
Milwaukee might hesitate in making a deal within its division and might ultimately want to swing bigger than this. But Ivey, still just 23 and coming off a season that was far more efficient than his first two, has shown real, palpable flashes. Stewart is 24, and is a rugged rebounder capable of bigger minutes than what he currently receives alongside fellow youngster Jalen Duren. And the veteran Harris, still just 32, was solid for the Pistons — particularly on defense — throughout Detroit's playoff run. It would be enough for the Bucks to remain competitive, with a chance for Ivey to achieve stardom as he enters his prime.”
This trade would be a slam-dunk move for the Pistons
For a playoff debut, Pistons fans had to love what they saw from Cade Cunningham. The star point guard averaged 25 points, 8.7 assists, and 8.3 rebounds against a Knicks team with decent personnel to contain him. Cunningham additionally put forth a solid defensive effort, recording 1.8 steals and 1.3 blocks. However, the former No. 1 pick was inefficient from three-point range, which was a trend for the Pistons this postseason. Detroit also struggled with ball-handling and shot creation outside its star point guard.
Still, this team has several young players who should continue to grow into their roles. Jalen Duren has shown to be a capable young center, while Ron Holland and Ausar Thompson are already tenacious on-ball defenders with high long-term ceilings. None of these players are included in this hypothetical deal, and while Giannis would not fill the shooting need this team has to address, he certainly provides another shot creation threat that would elevate this core's offensive ceiling to the next level. In addition, Antetokounmpo fits in seamlessly on the defensive end and offers more muscle to a frontcourt that sometimes struggled to contain elite centers.
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Regarding what the Pistons are giving up in this deal, two out of these three players, Isaiah Stewart and Jaden Ivey, were not available during this first-round series. Harris had been a very productive series against the Knicks, but he and Jaden are heading into the last year of their contracts.
While Detroit would be taking in more salary in this trade, the franchise would spend more money on this trio than Giannis alone, with the salary that Ivey will likely command. There are also serious questions about whether a backcourt of Ivey and Cunningham is an ideal combination, even though Jaden's improvement from the three-point range was very encouraging. But Giannis is still at least a top-four player in the league.
The Pistons have plenty of draft capital remaining even after this deal and have the cap space to absorb a contract like Antetokounmpo's. Cunningham evolving from an elite second-option on a championship team to a first-option as Antetokounmpo ages is a very realistic scenario this franchise would undergo with this elite duo. This is a slam-dunk deal.
Grade: A+
There are some perks to this move for the Bucks, but it's not enough
This deal is not enough return for the Bucks. Really, the primary justification for this trade would be if Milwaukee was tanking, but this team doesn't have its picks for the foreseeable future. And those three picks from the Pistons will not be all that valuable with Cunningham and Giannis playing together. Look at the hypothetical newest additions more closely, Harris and Ivey are entering the last years of their respective deals, while Stewart's contract runs through the 2027-2028 season. Ivey would be an intriguing addition as he has shown signs of growth throughout his career.
The 23-year-old is a quality starter who could evolve into an All-Star shortly. Stewart, on the other hand, is a talented role player but has a limited offensive ceiling and is at his best playing around 20 minutes a game. A change of scenery might unlock a new ceiling for the 24-year-old, but he has been given plenty of opportunities in Detroit to evolve on that end throughout his young career and has not yet. Still, Stewart is a positive asset in this deal, especially with his contract. Meanwhile, Harris is 32 years old and certainly would not be seen as a long-term fit on the Bucks roster, so Milwaukee would likely let him walk unless he re-signed for a cheaper deal after 2025-26.
Overall, though, ESPN's justification for this deal is predicated on the idea that the Bucks would still be able to remain competitive after it. Without Giannis and also without Damian Lillard for most of the year, it's hard to imagine that scenario. Milwaukee would not have the offensive ceiling to compete for a Play-In unless wholesale changes were made to the current roster. Especially after seeing the haul that good starters like Mikal Bridges and Desmond Bane have generated in return, the Bucks have to expect they can get a lot more for one of the greatest players ever, who is still in his prime. The only reason this isn't an F is if Ivey can evolve into an All-Star caliber player that a franchise like Milwaukee can build around. The jury is still out on the young guard.
Grade: D-
