The Milwaukee Bucks are on the verge of franchise collapse, and the Brooklyn Nets are loving it.
The Bucks look like they are going to lose in the first round to the Indiana Pacers for the second year in a row, making for three straight first-round exits for Milwaukee.
Since winning an NBA title in 2021, the Bucks have fired more head coaches (two) than they’ve won playoff series (one).
What’s more, the Bucks have an aging roster.
Milwaukee isn’t the place to be if you’re interested in contending over the next few years, that’s for sure.
The question is, when will Giannis Antetokounmpo decide it is time to move on and request a trade?
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This summer might be the right time for Giannis to bounce.
On Wednesday, Forbes’ Evan Sidery made an interesting post to X about Antetokounmpo.
“Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future with the Bucks is being monitored by teams ahead of this summer,” Sidery wrote.
“If the Bucks suffer another first-round exit while holding few future assets, teams are preparing to pursue.”
If and when Giannis does express the desire to leave Milwaukee, you can expect the two-time NBA MVP to prefer a big-market franchise. Antetokounmpo has been adamant in the past about wanting to play in a more premier market, and New York could end up being his destination.
Could the Brooklyn Nets be Giannis’s next team? Brooklyn doesn’t currently have the roster in place to satisfy Antetokounmpo’s thirst for contention, but the Nets do have cap space and could relatively quickly assemble a competitive roster around Giannis.
Recent buzz from New York Post’s Brian Lewis indicates that the Nets consider Giannis a “prime target”. Lewis also noted that Giannis “enjoys New York” and “owns multiple businesses there”.
Antetokounmpo, 30, could be entering the crossroads of his Hall of Fame career. As he enters the latter years of his prime, does Giannis want to play for a diminishing Bucks team or start building something new and exciting in a massive market?
The Nets probably have a better chance at acquiring Giannis this summer than most people assume.
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