The Bucks may send Antetokounmpo away? Take stock of the potential trading plans of the 29 teams, Thunder & Rockets have rich chips

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Damian Lillard's devastating injury largely ended the Milwaukee Bucks' season, leaving the team with the third straight first round of the playoffs, and it was clear that the Bucks needed to make some changes. They only have one trick left to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Considering that the Bucks lack draft assets, young players, and no salary space, they have no way to adjust their lineup. Other teams are very clear about the Bucks' situation, and pretenders are ready to move.

If the Bucks do decide to rebuild, then now will be a good time. The 2026 rookie is considered a very outstanding class, and Antetokounmpo is at the peak of his trading value. A bidding war around Antetokounmpo is likely to break out soon.

To reset their timeline, the Bucks will hope to trade Antetokounmpo for potential young players and draft picks. Considering that the Bucks won't have control of their own draft picks until 2031, pure play is meaningless to them, so keeping the team competitive may be their best choice in the future.

The following are the best quotes that each team in the league can provide to meet the needs of the Bucks.

Giannis Antetokounmpo offseason trading destination ranking:

Fourth level: There are not enough chips to complete the transaction

These teams can do their best, but their quotes will be easily defeated by other teams' quotes.

29. The Nuggets

Antetokounmpo will be incredible to play next to Nicola Jokic. However, the Nuggets will have only one tradeable draft pick after the draft, and the salary balance with Jamal Murray or Michael Porter Jr. is far from enough to complete the deal.

28. Lakers

If LeBron James signs a maximum salary contract, the Lakers may become a team that touches the second luxury tax line. They only have one first-round pick to trade, plus Austin Reeves, Dalton Kneckett and some players to match payrolls. Unless they want to trade Luca Doncic, that's not enough for getting Antetokounmpo.

27. The Suns

Theoretically, the trade to trade Kevin Durant for Antetokounmpo is feasible. The Suns will definitely agree. The Bucks will hang up the phone.

Durant is still a top 15 player in the league, but he doesn't match the Bucks' timeline and he's older than Antetokounmpo. The Suns don’t have enough potential players or draft picks (only one future first-round pick) to push the deal.

26, The Knicks have no unprotected first-round picks available for trade, so this puts them out of the battle for Antetokounmpo.

25, Warriors

The Warriors chose a path when they traded Jimmy Butler. They can have up to three first-round picks this summer, but they don't have enough salary to match Antetokounmpo's $54.1 million contract.

24, Celtics are expected to surpass the luxury tax line again, so any deal involving Antetokounmpo will require them to give out a lot of salary. Will they trade Jaylen Brown for the Bucks star? Maybe they could pack Brown with two first-round picks.

23. Pacers

Pacers have some young players with trading value and are eye-catching. Andrew Nemhard, Benedit Mathering and Jares Walker all look good rotation players. They could pack the three, plus some players for matching salary, with two unprotected first-round picks, but that wasn't enough.

22. The Clippers will have two first-round picks, but they are an older team, and there is no player the Bucks would want except Ivica Zubac, who is crucial to the Clippers' roster.

21. Timberwolves

Timberwolves do not have any unprotected first-round picks available for trading. The only way they can make a competitive offer is to include Anthony Edwards. This seems impossible.

20. The Mavericks are eager to return to the finals, but considering that Kyrie Irving will miss most or even all games next season after undergoing a torn ACL surgery, his deal is not worth much. Anthony Davis doesn't fit the Bucks' timeline, and the Mavericks' two unprotected first-round picks aren't enough to be a tempting addition.

Third level: The timeline is unreasonable

The four teams do have a large number of draft picks and young players, but Antetokounmpo is already 30 years old and at its peak. They don't have enough time to improve their roster and build a championship team around him.

19, Hornets

18, Wizards

17, Trail Blazers

16, Jazz

2: Maybe it might happen

15, Bulls

Antetokounmpo had previously considered the idea of ​​playing for the Bulls, and he said: "It's obvious. Everyone is willing to play for Chicago." From the Bulls' home joint center to his home in Milwaukee, it's not difficult to get there by car.

Bulls control all their future draft picks.

4. The Magic team already has two tall organizers, Franz Wagner and Paul Benkairo. They have to send one of them away in Antetokounmpo's trade or the on-field space will be unsatisfactory.

Antetokounmpo is certainly better than either of these two players at the moment, but the deal will allow the Bucks to reset their timeline. Both Magic's forwards could have been selected for the All-Star Game if they had better health this season.

Magic control all their picks and will also have the 25th overall pick for the Nuggets in the upcoming draft. A trade plan built around one of Wagner/Bankero, players to match salaries, and up to five first-round picks will be competitive.

3. The Spurs' timeline is not very consistent with Victor Vanbanyama, but Vanbanyama is already among the top ten players in the league. For a team with such excellent players, it is never too early to pursue success.

The Spurs have young players such as Devin Vassell and Kelden Johnson, which can be used to match Antetokounmpo's salary. They also control all their future draft picks. While the Spurs are reluctant to send out Rookie of the Year Stephen Castle, they can do the same if they need to.

2, Rockets

The Rockets have a large number of eye-catching young players to trade. Amen Thompson has not performed well in the playoffs so far, but looks like a potential star. Reed Shepard and Cameron Whitmore showed some potential in limited playing time. Jabbarri Smith and Tari Ethan are already excellent NBA players. Alperen Shinkyung was also selected for the All-Star Game this season. The Rockets can package several of these players with Jaylen Green to meet the salary requirements for trading Antetokounmpo. The biggest temptation will be the five first-round picks the Rockets can provide. It may not be necessary to send out all of these draft picks to complete the deal, but this batch of assets allows the Rockets to build the best trading plan for almost any team.

1. The Thunders

The Thunders can establish a dynasty by getting Antetokounmpo and win several championships in the future. And they have the ability to complete the deal without sacrificing any core players. The Thunder should be below the luxury tax line, making any transaction easier to operate. They control all their first-round picks, plus five protected draft picks that can be traded. In addition, they also have non-starter young players such as No. 12 overall pick Nikola Topic, Ajay Mitchell and Carson Wallace.

The Thunder may have to give up Isaiah Haltenstein in the trade to match the salary, but Antetokounmpo can fill the playing time at the center position. He will be perfectly integrated into the team as a defensive squad and bring two best scorers in the league to the Thunder.