3 Sleeper Teams to Trade for Giannis as We Near Bucks Deadline

Never underestimate a team's willingness to make a splashy move that would put their franchise on the map and give them a punchers chance to win an NBA title.

Back in 2018 the Toronto Raptors took a significant gamble and traded away franchise cornerstone, DeMar DeRozan, to the San Antonio Spurs to acquire Kawhi Leonard. As the season progressed, the Raptors made moves around the edges and built a team that was a true title contender, with no guarantee that Kawhi Leonard would return to Toronto in free agency.

It was a calculated risk, but the Raptors pulled off the unimaginable and won the 2019 NBA Title. That offseason, Kawhi Leonard left the Raptors in Free Agency and signed with the Los Angeles Clippers, but the trade was worth it as the Raptors won it all.

This could also be the same case for Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. They have had talks with the Heat for nearly six months and have been looking for better offers than what the Heat are willing to give up.

The Celtics have came on strong the last few weeks, but the reporting has changed from finding a third team for Jaylen Brown, to not trying to include Brown in the deal at all.

Then Ramona Shelburne of ESPN said that the Orlando Magic were a "sleeper team" to not count out, but that wasn't breaking news as the Magic have been mentioned in the rumors since day one.

So, what teams could be true sleepers in the NBA for Giannis? Here are three teams that I think could make compelling offers and have a chance to make a deep playoff run.

1. Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Luka Doncic-less Lakers and really weren't that close to winning the series. With a veteran small forward in Kevin Durant, and a strong starting point guard in Fred VanVleet, the Rockets have an intriguing trade offer they can make for Giannis.

Houston Receives: Giannis Antetokounmpo and Myles Turner

Milwaukee Receives: Reed Sheppard, Alperen Sengun, Dorian FInney-Smith, Steven Adams a 2027 first-round pick from Houston (rights to swap with Brooklyn), and a 2029 first-round pick from Dallas.

Houston trades away two young players in Sheppard and Sengun, two veterans in Adamas and DFS, and two highly coveted picks from Brooklyn and Dallas. The starting five for Houston is Fred VanVleet, Amen Thompson, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Myles Turner. They do keep Jabari Smith Jr. but other than that, it does deplete their depth. In addition to depleting their depth, they have to take back $12M in salary which could make re-signing Tari Eason challenging, but this takes the Rockets from playoff team to title contender, especially if they can retain Eason.

For Milwaukee, you're not getting Amen Thompson, but those two young players are more valuable than anything Miami or Boston are offering player wise. Then you receive two first-round picks on top of it, that's close to a home run deal. Lastly, you're able to shed the Myles Turner contract, which appears to be an overpay for the next three seasons.

2. Dallas Mavericks

Everyone is expecting Dallas to enter a youth movement after trading away Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis, but don't sleep on Masai Ujiri. Remember, Ujiri was the architect who pulled off the massive move to land Kawhi in Toronto as mentioned previously.

With an elite point guard in Kyrie Irving coming back from a torn ACL next sesaon, there are enough reasons to believe that adding Giannis to the Mavericks could get them into title contention.

Dallas Receives: Giannis Antetokounmpo

Milwaukee Receives: No. 9 overall pick in 2026, 2029 first-round pick (via LA Lakers), 2033 first-round pick (via Dallas), Klay Thompson, Dereck Lively II, PJ Washington Jr., and Caleb Martin.

Dallas' starting five after this trade would be: Kyrie Irving, Max Christie, Cooper Flagg, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Daniel Gafford. Naji Marshall would lead the second unit off the bench, and they would be able to bring in other veterans to fill out the rest of the roster.

For Milwaukee, getting three picks, especially one in the Top 10 of this year's draft is strong business, as well as acquiring a former 10th overall pick in Dereck Lively II. This offer is not as strong as Houston's could be, but it is still an enticing deal that could make sense for both sides. If the Bucks asked the Mavericks for more draft compensation to get this deal done, I wouldn't be surprised, but landing three firsts that have the potential to be better than Miami's future firsts is a win.

3. New Orleans Pelicans

This one is the biggest surprise of them all, but the Pelicans want to be good after being irrelevant for years. This deal is a win-now move that makes them an intriguing team in the West, but probably not good enough to win it. Either way, it only takes one team thinking they can do it, and New Orleans comes across as a team that believes they're closer than are.

New Orleans Receives: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Myles Turner and Gary Trent Jr.

Milwaukee Receives: Zion Williamson, Jordan Poole. Jordan Hawkins, Saddiq Bey, Yves Missi, and three first-round picks from New Orleans in 2029, 2031, and 2033.

After everyone expects the Pelicans to make a move to shed some of their talent to other rosters in trades, they double-down and go after Giannis.

Here is their projected starting 5: Jeremiah Fears, Dejounte Murray, Trey Murphy III, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Myles Turner. Their bench: Herb Jones, Gary Trent Jr., Derrik Queen, Kevon Looney.

This deal has the Bucks taking back $4.4M more this season, but they're able to shed Myles Turner's salary by taking back the expiring Poole contract. They receive three Pelicans picks which could be extremely valuable in the future, take a flier on Zion Williamson who when healthy is an All-Star level player, get to add a wing scorer in Saddiq Bey, and get younger and cheaper at the five with Yves Missi.

Final Thoughts

The Rockets feel like the most likely of these three teams to swoop in on a Giannis deal, but dealing Giannis to the Western Conference is not a bad business decision for Milwaukee. Recent reports say that Boston is starting to slowly back away from the deal, and that means that teams wanting the services of Giannis only have to compete with what Miami is offering.

The biggest question that needs to be answered is whether or not the Bucks will make the best deal for their franchise, or make a deal that their soon-to-be former franchise cornerstone signs off on.

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