Giannis jogs back on defense against the Atlanta Hawks.
There isn’t a team with a bigger chest of draft assets, young players and capital to pull off a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade than the OKC Thunder. That’s precisely why former NBA player Chander Parsons has urged the Sam Presti-led front office to pursue a deal with the Bucks to pair “The Greek Freak” with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, another consensus top-5 player in the league.
On the November 12 episode of “Run it Back” on Fan Duel TV, Parsons implored Thunder to trade second-year big man Chet Holmgren for Antetokounmpo. Parsons agreed with an earlier take from Celtics legend Paul Piece, who first floated the idea of the Thunder trading Holmgren to Milwaukee.
“As good as Chet Holmgren is — he’s one of my favorite up-and-coming players — you can only dream that he becomes as good a player as Giannis is and has been,” Parsons said. “When you look at fit, Giannis is the perfect star for the small market. He’s been there before, he’s played with good guards before. I think the fit there, basketball-wise, with all the shooting and youth that surrounds him… what better team than the Oklahoma City Thunder? The youngest, best-shaped team in the league.”
Good Trade For Milwaukee?
Parsons continued, “I think Chet is going to be a multi-time All-Star and All-Defensive type of player, but, right now, Giannis is a better basketball player, and he makes that team the favorite right away. They switch teams, Giannis and the Bucks are the favorites, over the Boston Celtics.”
Parsons, who played nine seasons in the NBA, further argued that the Holmgren – Antetokounmpo swap would also bode well for the Bucks, who would potentially hit the reset button by trading away their longtime franchise star.
“I like it for Milwaukee because you don’t have to go into a full rebuild,” Parsons said. “You immediately get an absolute stud, a top-20, top-25 caliber player in Chet. You’re not really starting over, either. I like this for both teams, especially the Thunder because you don’t want somebody who’s gonna distract [the culture] — and the perfect scenario is Giannis. He’s a big kid, he’s a child — he fits perfectly with this team. I love it.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade Rumors
Even as speculation mounts about the Bucks possibly blowing up the roster, NBA insider Marc Stein reported on November 10 that the franchise won’t trade Antetokounmpo unless the two-time MVP categorically asks out.
“It is understood quite clearly in 29 other front offices that Antetokounmpo is only ever going to be made available for trade if he pushes for it,” Stein wrote in his newsletter.
Stein further noted that the Bucks were desperate to improve their roster depth around co-stars Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, but have run into challenges due to the second tax apron of the new CBA. To that end, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported something similar on November 8.
“Teams have let the Bucks know in recent months that they will make an offer for the Greek Freak if that day ever comes,” Windhorst wrote. “But those are incoming calls, not outgoing, and it’s likely to remain that way. Milwaukee is making trade calls looking for some help for Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, as Khris Middleton’s absence from offseason ankle surgeries extends and the team manages a 2-6 start. But the Bucks are going to have a tough time finding anything substantial. Because Milwaukee is in the second apron of the luxury tax, it is prohibited from aggregating salaries to make a deal and from taking back more money than it sends out.”
Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided's Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan
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Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade Pitch Named ‘Perfect Scenario’