NBA Rumors: The Milwaukee Bucks' expected asking price for Giannis Antetokounmpo could have teams hesitating a potential all-out pursuit this summer.
If Giannis Antetokounmpo is going to be traded this offseason, it's likely going to for a historic return. That's one variable that many teams across the league must reevaluate before they decide to make an all-out pursuit of Giannis.
Even though Giannis has not yet made an official trade demand, the overwhelming belief is that if he does, and this offseason does become the summer of Giannis, the Bucks are going to be asking for the moon and the stars in any potential deal.
As they should, the Bucks are going to want everything in exchange for Giannis. Considering where the Bucks are in terms of assets, Milwaukee would need to do so in order to pull itself out of NBA purgatory at the moment. It wouldn't make sense for the Bucks to ask for a win-now player or a ton of draft picks. They need both, and everything.
Because of that expected high asking price that the Bucks are going to have, in the event that Giannis does hit the trade block, it should create some pause for many teams across the league that may have their eye on a potential all-out pursuit of Giannis.
Is Giannis worth a historic trade offer?
In theory, I don't think there are many people who would say that Giannis is not worth a potential historic trade offer. Giannis is worth the 1-2 young prospects, salary filler, and 5-6 first-round picks that he'd likely be traded for. However, there are few teams that could A) afford that, and B) be willing to make such an offer and still be able to surround Giannis with a championship supporting cast.
That's where this becomes that much more difficult for a team to go all-in for Giannis. Ultimately, that could end up being the biggest reason that Giannis stays put with the Bucks.
As the Bucks and Giannis prepare to have a huge sit-down meeting with each other, which can go a huge way in determining their future together, teams like the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Houston Rockets need to be having their own internal discussions about what it would take to land Giannis and whether such a pursuit would be worthy for the franchise in the lon run.
The easy answer is generally going to be yes, but at 30 years old, Giannis alone is far from a foregone conclusion. A team is going to need to build around him. And if they're giving up everything for Giannis, and not much is remaining on the roster, perhaps it may not be the right move to make.
Generally, in the NBA, you do whatever it takes to land the superstar player. However, the way the modern blueprints have been built, that may not be the smart route to take. It will be interesting to see how this scenario plays out.
The bottom line is that Giannis is going to cost everything, which should come as no surprise. The question is, how many teams are willing to put that on the table this offseason if Giannis were to hit the trade block?