Championship favorite ranked as best Giannis Antetokounmpo trade destination

Matthew Wadleigh

Championship favorite ranked as best Giannis Antetokounmpo trade destination image

The Milwaukee Bucks season came to an end as the Indiana Pacers won Game 5 to win the series, 4-1. Tyrese Haliburton played hero as he hit the game-winner, and Hilaburton's dad got into it with Giannis after the game in a heated exchange between the teams. 

Now comes the big question: Do the Bucks trade Giannis? 

That question will be asked plenty over the next few weeks and months, especially after another early exit for Milwaukee. If they do shop him, there will undoubtedly be a flurry of suitors, although some are more realistic than others. 

Stephen Noh of Sporting News ranked the best Giannis trade destinations. On top of the list was the Oklahoma City Thunder, the current No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. 

The Thunder could build a dynasty that could win the next several championships with Giannis on their team. And they have the pieces to get a deal done without sacrificing any of their main guys. 

Oklahoma City should be under the apron, making any trades easier to pull off. They have control of all of their own first-round picks, plus five protected picks that they could move. In addition, they have young pieces, such as No. 12 pick Nikola Topic, Ajay Mitchell, and Cason Wallace, that don't start for them. 

The Thunder would probably have to part ways with Isaiah Hartenstein in order to make the money work in a trade, but Giannis could fill those minutes at center. He would fit right in as a defensive menace and give Oklahoma City two of the best scorers in the league. 

Of course, the Thunder's unreal arsenal of draft picks helps them in any possible Giannis trade. Moreover, a lineup of Lu Dort, Chet Holmgren, Giannis and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is just not fair for the rest of the league. 

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Matthew Wadleigh

Matthew Wadleigh is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He was born and raised in Southern California and grew up a San Diego sports fan (yes, it’s tough, except for Aztecs hoops). Matthew went to Fresno State as a journalism major and got to see Davante Adams, Derek Carr, Paul George and Aaron Judge in person. Matthew has written for publications including ClutchPoints, Sportscasting, Fansided, Trojans Wire, UCLA Wire and Buffaloes Wire.