This Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade Makes Too Much Sense For Milwaukee Bucks

The trade rumors are heating up.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo drives for the basket against Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Bucks are potentially nearing the end of the Giannis Antetokounmpo era with the traded lineup coming up this week.

The pressure to trade Antetokounmpo is at an all-time high with the Bucks outside of the playoff picture and no real solution to get back into it. The Bucks might need to push the reset button and the only way to do so is by trading Antetokounmpo.

If the Bucks are going into a hard rebuild, it might make sense to make a trade with the team that has some of their future draft assets. That would be the Portland Trail Blazers.

Blazers Could Make Sense as Giannis Trade Partner

While Antetokounmpo hasn't necessarily suggested the Blazers as a potential team that he would want to go to, the roster has two of his former Bucks teammates in Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard that he could star with alongside all-star forward Deni Avdija.

The Bucks front office does not have anything holding them back when it comes to trading Antetokounmpo. He may have a preferred destination, but the Bucks should prioritize themselves and trade him to the team that can give them the most in return.

It remains to be seen if the Blazers are the team that can offer the most for Antetokounmpo, but they might be a surprise suitor in all of this. The Blazers currently sit in 10th place in the Western Conference standings and are holding on to the final spot in the play-in tournament. That is around the same spot as the Bucks in the Eastern Conference, but the Blazers appear to have the brighter future of the two teams.

It's a tough pill to swallow for the Bucks because they were the team that acquired Lillard that sent Portland into a rebuild. But time flies in the NBA, and the shoe is now on the other foot. Perhaps that will be enough for the two teams to consider another trade that could shake up the NBA.

The Bucks have until Thursday at 1 p.m. CT to trade Antetokounmpo if they want to do so before the end of the season. If they hold onto him, there is a good chance a new deal could be explored in the offseason.

In the meantime, the Bucks will face off against the Chicago Bulls tomorrow at 7 p.m. CT inside the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. Fans can watch the game on FanDuel Sports Network or stream it on NBA League Pass.