The NBA playoffs are in full swing, but that hasn’t stopped the trade rumor mill from churning out intel as we get closer to free agency and the offseason. The free agency class this summer isn’t all that enticing, but the names circulating the trade market will dominate the headlines this offseason, highlighted by Giannis Antetokounmpo whose Milwaukee Bucks team was eliminated from the first round of the playoffs for the third straight year.
Milwaukee’s early exit brought about the Antetokounmpo trade rumors once more, and they are louder than ever, with reports surfacing that the two-time MVP is “open-minded” to the idea of playing elsewhere. We’ll all be on Giannis watch this summer, but he’s certainly not the only player who may be traded this summer. As we get prepared for transaction season, here are the latest rumors circulating around the league.
Could Warriors put package together for Giannis?
The Warriors were just eliminated from the second round of the playoffs at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Stephen Curry could only watch and shake his head on the bench as he watched his team fall in five games. Curry was out for all but two quarters of the series after sustaining a hamstring strain in Game 1. There was hope that he might be available to return for a Game 6, but Golden State couldn’t push the series that far. Now, the Warriors look ahead to the offseason and figure out how they can try and get back to this position next year.
They’ll have Curry back healthy, and Jimmy Butler already signed an extension after the Warriors traded for him back in February. Draymond Green will still be part of this core, but beyond that, it’s obvious that even had Curry been healthy, this team needs some upgrades if it wants to contend for a title. That’s where Antetokounmpo comes in. He hasn’t requested a trade from Milwaukee … yet. But there are reports suggesting he’s not completely shutting down the idea of playing for another team. Antetokounmpo and Curry have always admired each other, so perhaps Golden State would be on the short list of teams the Greek Freak would entertain playing for if he asks out of Milwaukee. But if that happens, the Warriors may not have enough to pony up to the Bucks to land him, at least not without some help.
Per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst:
“Yes, there is a package that the Warriors could use [to get Giannis],” Windhorst said on the ESPN show “Get Up” Friday morning. “They have some future draft picks. They have interesting young players. Like last year, Brandon Podziemski was off limits. Who knows if that’s going to be the case this year? But they can’t win a bidding war. First off, I just want to say Giannis has not let it be known he certainly wants out of Milwaukee, so I do not think we should assume that. If we do reach that point where Giannis was going to look around, he will have agency in this. He has two years left on his contract. The Bucks don’t have to listen to him, but if he were to come to Milwaukee and say, I want to play with Steph [Curry], there could be a deal worked out.
“The same would apply, in my view, to the Knicks or [Los Angeles Lakers], if he says I want to be a Knicks, send me to New York or I want to be a Laker. These are big ifs. Those trades can get worked out. But if it’s just an open market, none of those three teams, in my opinion, could win a bidding war with the Bucks.”
The teams that have been most heavily connected as the frontrunners to land Antetokounmpo have been the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs. Houston has a ton of assets between future draft picks and young players that could entice the Bucks, while the Spurs just landed the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. A package centered around that draft pick, and some future assets, as well as perhaps a young player on the Spurs roster currently, could get the job done to pair Antetokounmpo with Victor Wembanyama.
The Warriors may be able to put a deal together centered around Podziemski, Jonathan Kuminga and future picks, but that may not be enough to win this sweepstakes. However, as Windhorst noted, if Antetokounmpo goes to Milwaukee’s brass and says he wants to play for the Warriors and nowhere else, then of course something could be worked out to get him there, it would just likely take a third team to get the Bucks the type of high-end assets they’re probably looking for.
Lakers want ‘top-tier’ big man if trading Reaves
Although the Lakers were bounced in the first round of the playoffs, they still walked away from the season as a major winner after landing Luka Doncic in a trade deadline deal that still doesn’t quite make sense. They said goodbye to Anthony Davis in the process, but now set themselves up for essentially the next decade with one of the best young talents in the league at the center of their franchise.
But after losing to the Timberwolves in the first round, it was obvious that upgrades needed to be made. Getting a big man is L.A.’s top priority this summer, and they have the assets to go get a really solid one to pair with Doncic. They still have a 2031 first-round pick that can be used in a trade package, as well as Austin Reaves, who did not have a good showing in the postseason. Though Reaves ended the season on a low note, his value is at its highest right now after a career year where he averaged 20.2 points, 5.8 assists and 4.5 rebounds. The Lakers reportedly have no interest in trading Reaves unless they’re getting a “top-tier” big man, per Los Angeles Times’ Dan Woike, which makes sense, so now it’s just a matter of which teams want Reaves.
It may sound crazy, but after landing the No. 1 overall pick and the rights to draft Cooper Flagg, as well as losing Kyrie Irving for a bulk of next season, the Dallas Mavericks are suddenly in need of a guard. Given the backlash Dallas’ front office got after trading Doncic, the likelihood of the Mavs doing another deal with the Lakers so soon may be low, but they’ve got Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II, as well as Davis and presumably Flagg. That’s a lot of frontcourt gluttony, and having Reaves would tide the Mavericks over until Irving is back, and when he is, that backcourt tandem would be potent.
If it’s not Dallas, there’s certainly other options on the trade market for the Lakers. Nic Claxton in Brooklyn may be a perfect fit as a rim runner and shot blocker next to Doncic, or perhaps Walker Kessler is gettable from the Utah Jazz. He’s young, is one of the best shot blockers in the league and would benefit playing off Doncic.
None of this means the Lakers are for sure trading Reaves to get a big man, he’s certainly made himself incredibly valuable to the Lakers over the last two seasons. But when it comes down to it, if they can’t find a quality big man without dealing Reaves, they’ll have to make that tough call.
Sixers open to trading No. 3 pick in draft
The 76ers were undoubtedly one of the most disappointing teams this season. Injuries played a significant role as Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey spent very limited time together on the floor. It resulted in Philadelphia plummeting to the bottom of the standings and landing in the lottery. It was there that the Sixers had their best luck of the season, jumping up the land the No. 3 pick in the draft, which would’ve been the most surprising thing of the night had the Mavericks not landed the No. 1 pick.
But now, after a year of turmoil, the Sixers have options. They can draft a player at the No. 3 slot and hope they can make an immediate impact. Or, they could trade that pick in hopes of landing more top-end talent to help the team right now. The latter is certainly a possibility, as The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie reports that Philly is indeed expected to “listen to offers” for the No. 3 pick.
It’s unclear what the Sixers would want in return, but in a draft where a lot of teams were hoping to land in the top 3, Philly has the leverage against any team calling them up. We know there were reports of the Sixers potentially shopping Paul George this summer, just one year after signing him. Perhaps he’s used as a trade chip on draft night as well as the No. 3 pick to get someone who better fits alongside Embiid and Maxey. But whatever the Sixers’ plan is, they left Draft Lottery night in a far better position than when they entered and after watching the Cavaliers melt down, the Bucks potentially hitting the reset button and the Celtics already entering next season without Jayson Tatum, there’s certainly room for Philadelphia to make a run in next year’s playoffs if they make the correct move with the third overall pick.
