Giannis Antetokounmpo Could Chase Big NBA Markets With Questionable Bucks Future

Even if the Milwaukee Bucks had merely fallen in five games to the Indiana Pacers for the third consecutive season and not lost their second-best player to a devastating, potentially career-altering injury that could hold him out for a full year, no one would blame nine-time All-Star Bucks power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo for seeking a trade this summer.

But, with nine-time All-Star point guard Damian Lillard having torn his Achilles tendon in Game 4 of the Bucks' 4-1 series loss to the Indiana Pacers at age 34, Milwaukee's championship window with this current roster is clearly closed.

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Understandably, the sharks have been circling Antetokounmpo and seem ready to roll if he demands a deal out of town.

So where will he go?

Per The Ringer's Howard Beck, Antetokounmpo could be interested in playing for major market squads like the the Los Angeles Lakers or L.A. Clippers, the New York Knicks, the Miami Heat, and potentially even his hapless Central Division rivals the Chicago Bulls.

During an appearance on teammate Zach Lowe's "The Zach Lowe Show," Beck explained the

“I poked around a little bit a few days ago and the initial thing I got from one person was just like some rumblings that it’s already just the big cities: One of the LA teams or one of the New York teams or maybe Miami, not a big market, but a glamour market, mid-size market," Beck said. "I think they threw Chicago in there. I can’t remember if Houston came up. It should. So first is like where does Giannis want to go and do they honor that? Because again, back to Damian Lillard, you’re not obligated to honor it.”

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As Beck alludes to, as a contending team with plenty of future draft picks and tradeable young pieces, the Houston Rockets have been frequently floated by pundits as a possibly interesting destination too, and are in a massive city of their own. Thus, it's fascinating that Houston's appeal to Antetokounmpo remains somewhat ambiguous.

Across 67 healthy bouts with the 48-34 Bucks last year, Antetokounmpo averaged 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.2 blocks and 0.9 steals per bout. It marked his third straight season averaging at least 30 points, 11 rebounds, and 5.5 assists. He's doing his part, and remains one of the league's most lethal two-way players at age 30 — albeit a limited shooter beyond the arc. He will be highly coveted should he seek a trade.

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Wild Trade Proposal Has Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo Landing With Warriors

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