The Toronto Raptors could be the perfect landing spot for Giannis Antetokounmpo that no one sees coming.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has still not decided his future or how he wants to approach the NBA offseason. From all indications, there's at least an outside chance that he ends up asking for a trade out of the Milwaukee Bucks. That's what most across the league are anticipating at this point. However, when discussing his potential landing spots, it's been the San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, and perhaps even the Oklahoma City Thunder that have gotten the most attention.
There's one almost perfect landing spot that many seem to be overlooking, and it's the Toronto Raptors. According to a recent report, the Raptors and Giannis do share some mutual interest. How far that extends is anyone's guess. However, the fact that there could be a natural pairing between the two does add another suitor that the likes of the Spurs and Rockets may have to fight off if Giannis does end up hitting the trade block this offseason.
Raptors could be the ultimate dark horse suitor for Giannis
Theoretically speaking, the Raptors could be an intriguing landing spot for Giannis for a few reasons. For one, the Raptors have one of the most aggressive and best general managers in the game in Masai Ujiri. If there's one executive across the league that Giannis should feel strongly about building a championship team around him, it's Ujiri. He was able to do so effectively with Kawhi Leonard in one season, and the hope would be that he could do the same with Giannis immediately.
Additionally, the Raptors could trade up to four first-round picks and pick swaps in a potential package for Giannis. They also have a plethora of young prospects that Toronto could include in a deal for the superstar forward. If the Bucks wanted a mix of future draft capital and young prospects, the Raptors could be somewhat of the perfect trade partner for Milwaukee in those respects.
Finally, even if Toronto traded a package that included a couple of young pieces, salary fillers, and their draft picks, they'd still have some pieces left over to field a strong supporting cast around Giannis.
For example, the Raptors could trade Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Ja'Kobe Walter, Gradey Dick, and four first-round picks to the Bucks for Giannis. They'd still have a strong core of Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram as a support system around Giannis.
If the Raptors are serious about making a big splash this offseason, it's insane not to consider them a real threat in the Giannis sweepstakes. If Gianis does hit the trade market, you'd have to assume Ujiri and the Raptors are going to be a team that explores a path toward acquiring him. And if there is mutual interest from Giannis, maybe the Raptors could emerge as the landing spot for the superstar forward that no one sees coming.