Jaren Jackson Jr. Trade Should Make Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo Future Obvious

Milwaukee has to make a decision after the Memphis Grizzlies made a blockbuster deal of their own.

Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. drives to the basket as Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo defends. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Bucks and the other 27 teams in the NBA are feeling the tone of the trade deadline shift after the Memphis Grizzlies and Utah Jazz agreed to a blockbuster deal involving former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr.

In the trade, the Grizzlies sent forward Jaren Jackson Jr., John Konchar, Jock Landale and Vince Williams Jr. to the Utah Jazz for Walter Clayton Jr., Kyle Anderson, Taylor Hendricks, Georges Niang and three future first-round picks. This deal signals the beginning of the end of the Grizzlies' run, which saw a team led by Jackson Jr. and Ja Morant take the squad all the way to the No. 2 seed.

The Bucks can respond to this in one of two ways. Either they can double down on their stance and make a real push for Morant, who will almost certainly be available now that the Grizzlies have made their intentions very clear or the Bucks can take a page out of Memphis' playbook and begin a hard rebuild by trading Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo drives to the basket against Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

Grizzlies Trade Gives Bucks Permission to Trade Giannis Antetokounmpo

While the Grizzlies and Bucks are not necessarily an equal comparison, there are a lot of similarities between the two teams in their current situations. Both squads had expectations to compete this season with cores that had shown signs of regression. In the first half of the year, neither team lived up to those expectations. Both teams are under .500 and in the lottery going into the deadline.

The Grizzlies are taking this as an opportunity to fully reset and get the picks that they need in order to start this whole thing over again. The Bucks may be a little bit more hesitant because Antetokounmpo took the team to greater heights than Jackson Jr. did with the Grizzlies. Antetokounmpo is still 5 years removed from winning a championship with the Bucks.

That being said, it has been five years since the Bucks were a relevant title contender. The Bucks need to stop living in the past and move forward with an Antetokounmpo trade, whether it happens before Thursday's deadline or in the offseason when they have more time and clarity to make a deal.

The Bucks return to the court tonight against the Chicago Bulls. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT inside the Fiserv Forum. Fans can watch the game on FanDuel Sports Network or stream it on NBA League Pass.