Bucks predicted to cut ties with Giannis Antetokounmpo via blockbuster trade to Spurs

Despite missing the playoffs again this year, the San Antonio Spurs exhibited promise during the second season of the Victor Wembanyama era.

Following a 22-60 campaign last season, the Spurs improved their win total by 12 contests and were five games back from the No. 10 spot in the Western Conference (which would have helped them reach the Play-In Tournament). 

If the organization wants to punch its ticket to the postseason in 2025-26, Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes believes it should attempt to pry Giannis Antetokounmpo away from the Milwaukee Bucks this summer. 

“The fit between Giannis and Victor Wembanyama is beyond tantalizing,” Hughes wrote Monday. "Wemby would have joined Antetokounmpo on the All-NBA first team if not for the deep vein thrombosis that shelved him after the All-Star break."

“The combined length and athleticism of those two on the front line would be impossible for most teams to handle. It's important to note that Brook Lopez's rim-protection and floor-stretching shooting unlocked the best version of Antetokounmpo.”

“Wemby is already a better defensive force than Lopez ever was, which is saying something, and his potential as a shooter is off the charts. Giannis could go weeks at a time without seeing a center blocking his path to the rim.”

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“Pairing these two could put the Spurs on the short list of contenders as soon as next year. And if Wembanyama takes another step forward, the Spurs could wind up with two of four best players in the entire league for at least the next handful of seasons.” 

Hughes’ trade proposal sends Keldon Johnson, Harrison Barnes, Jeremy Sochan, Stephon Castle, the No. 14 pick, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2029 first-round pick, and a 2031 first-round pick to the Bucks in exchange for Antetokounmpo and Pat Connaughton.

Antetokounmpo’s prime won’t last forever. 

The 30-year-old superstar won a title with the Bucks in 2021, but hasn’t come close to securing a championship since. The Indiana Pacers eliminated the Bucks in the first round of the playoffs this year, making it four consecutive early postseason exits for Milwaukee.

While it’s well-documented that Antetokounmpo has a soft spot for the Bucks, the former lottery pick recently announced that he’s open to exploring new NBA opportunities. 

As Hughes noted, Antetokounmpo and Wembanyama would wreak havoc in San Antonio. 

Antetokounmpo’s aggressive crossover jab and high-level finishing at the rim, combined with Wembanyama’s generational two-way low post and perimeter contributions at 7-foot-3, would help the Spurs elevate their ceiling and maximize both superstars’ primes.

Losing Castle, an intelligent young stud with outstanding defensive instincts, would be challenging but worth it if Antetokounmpo is the ultimate prize.

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