In terms of Game 1 overreactions, this 1 might need to go in the Hall of Fame.
Following the Oklahoma City Thunder‘s Game 1, double overtime loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith came up with a blockbuster trade pitch that would likely reshape the NBA for years to come.
Smith’s trade pitch came in reaction to 7-foot-4 Spurs center Victor Wembanyama annihilating the Thunder for 41 points, 24 rebounds, and 3 blocks in 49 minutes.
No one was on the receiving end of that more than 7-foot-1 Thunder center Chet Holmgren, who finished with 8 points and 8 rebounds in 41 minutes, and Smith proposed a trade that would send Holmgren, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft, 2 1st-round picks, and 2 2nd-round picks to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for 2-time NBA MVP power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“Imagine Shai Gilgeous-Alexander running the floor with Giannis,” Smith said on Tuesday morning. “You put Giannis in that situation, and he’s good for 30 (points) and 11 (rebounds) … Giannis is just a rumor right now as far as what he can do in the playoffs. It’s been that long.”
The Western Conference Finals between the defending NBA champion Thunder and the Spurs continues on Wednesday night (8:30 p.m. EST, NBC/Peacock).
Trade Depends on Western Conference Finals
The Thunder were 6.5-point favorites in Game 1 and overwhelming favorites to win a 2nd consecutive NBA championship. The Game 1 loss was their 1st loss of the playoffs following sweeps of the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers in the 1st 2 rounds.
It would be interesting to see what might happen if the Thunder were to lose to the Spurs, led by the 22-year-old Wembanyama, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft, along with 2024 1st round pick Stephon Castle and 2025 1st round pick Dylan Harper.
Logical thinking would be that either Holmgren or another NBA All-Star, guard Jalen Williams, would likely be dealt along with draft picks to try to get a proven star more suited to SGA’s needs.
Whatever team gets Holmgren in this hypothetical scenario will have him locked down for the long haul — he signed a 5-year, $250 million contract extension in July 2025.
Proposed Trade Would be Windfall for Bucks
For the Bucks, trading for Holmgren plus all of those picks might represent the deal of a lifetime and a way to rebuild the franchise after the end of the Giannis era, which produced an NBA title in 2021.
Since winning that title, the Bucks haven’t advanced past the Eastern Conference semifinals and lost in the 1st round for 3 consecutive seasons before missing the playoffs altogether this season — a year in which Antetokounmpo played in a career-low 36 games.
The Bucks are also about to have their 4th head coach in 5 years after firing Doc Rivers following the season and hiring former Memphis Grizzlies head coach and former Bucks assistant Taylor Jenkins.
Bucks Trade Pitch Swaps Giannis Antetokounmpo for Former No. 2 Overall Pick