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Former NBA All-Star Pitches Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade to Title Contender

Seth Quinn

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The Milwaukee Bucks are currently down 3-1 in their first-round series with the Indiana Pacers. While the series isn't over, it feels over, meaning offseason discussions are already getting started.

One such discussion point is how long star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo will stick around in Milwaukee.

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The NBA Media Space now consists of quite of few former players, with one being Carlos Boozer. On ESPN's "Get Up", Boozer discussed how he felt if Giannis were to move on from the Bucks, he should try and get to Los Angeles to play with Luka Doncic on the Lakers.

"If I'm Giannis [Antetokounmpo] and I don't want to go back to Milwaukee, maybe play with Luka [Doncic], maybe go to LA [to the Lakers] if he wants to win?" Boozerr stated.

This is par for the course in terms of NBA coverage. Any star who seems remotely interested in leaving their small-market franchise should join the Lakers.

The real question, though, for the Milwaukee Bucks is that they will eventually have to deal with a potentially disgruntled Giannis down the line.

His current contract is set to expire in the 2027 offseason, assuming he doesn't opt into his player option. That means the Bucks have two seasons to figure out how to get this roster back to being title contenders.

The toughest decision for the team will be what to do with Damian Lillard. He tore his achilles in the last playoff game, so it is unknown when he will return next season, and it is also unknown what the impact will be long-term.

The Bucks are, in general, an older roster with not great assets to recoup value, so it may be tough to build up the roster going forward.

That means a potential trade of Giannis could make sense for the Bucks down the line. However, the Lakers likely wouldn't be the team to make it happen, as they too have an older roster currently that will make things difficult to build up assets.

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More likely teams that would make sense to trade for Giannis are established teams who also have the assets to make a deal. Teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets stick out. As long as Giannis doesn't force his way to a specific team by threatening free agency, both of those trade partners would make a lot of sense.

For now though, the Bucks will remain focused on the present by finishing off their series with the Pacers. The front office still has plenty of time to figure out how to build up the team around Giannis, and if they can't figure it out, work out a trade or contract extension to extend the team's timeline.

More Milwaukee Bucks News:

Bucks' Doc Rivers Listed Among NBA's Worst Coaches in Player Poll

Wild Trade Proposal Has Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo Landing With Warriors

How Bobby Portis Can Replace Damian Lillard in Bucks Lineup

For more news and notes on the Milwaukee Bucks, visit Milwaukee Bucks on SI.

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Seth Quinn
SETH QUINN

Seth Quinn is a contributing sports writer based in Massachusetts. His focus is on sports, primarily the NFL and NBA. He has in-depth knowledge of the NFL and NBA as a whole, being a fan of both leagues for over 20 years. He is a graduate from Syracuse University both as an undergraduate and graduate student. You can find him on X @SethFQuinn.

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