While there are many signs that the Milwaukee Bucks will work to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo this summer, a new report links the team to the addition of a specific star to pair with him in 2026-27.
Heading into the trade deadline earlier this month, there was no bigger story than the will-they or won’t-they saga of the Bucks and the two-time NBA MVP. While Antetokounmpo did not technically ask for a trade, Milwaukee started taking offers from interested teams because they were under the impression he was ready for a divorce.
However, after a couple of weeks of trade talks, Milwaukee chose to hold on to the nine-time All-Star. The belief around the NBA is that the organization did not love the offers they got. And it was more of an information-building process for the summer, when better offers will come, and more teams are expected to get involved in the sweepstakes.
Veteran NBA insider Jake Fischer firmly believes an Antetokounmpo trade will indeed happen this summer. However, in a new post on the Stein Line, he offered up an intriguing scenario where Antetokounmpo would stay and be paired up with Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant.
Bucks were ‘sincere’ with interest in a Ja Morant trade?
“The Grizzlies will have to try again this summer to find a palatable Morant deal. Maybe they’ll have more options like the Bucks are projected to have when it comes to Antetokounmpo,” Fischer wrote.
“One scenario that has to be filed away is the prospect of Milwaukee trading for Morant. Numerous teams came away from the deadline believing that the Bucks’ interest in Morant was genuine,” he added. “Whether that was to install him as their eventual successor to Antetokounmpo as Face of the Franchise or because they believe they could actually make a Giannis-and-Ja pairing work.”
While the rumors swirled about the team trading Giannis Antetokounmpo, there were also reports about them wanting to add impact talent before this month’s deadline. The team would prefer to hold on to the greatest player in team history.
Adding Morant when his value is at a low and getting him back to being the superstar he was a few years ago could appeal to the Greek legend and make him stick around for one more season.
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