Rookies the Bucks Could Target in a Potential Giannis Deal

On Wednesday morning, ESPN’s Shams Charania announced that two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is officially ready for a new home, be it before the Feb. 5 trade deadline, or in the upcoming offseason.

His split from the Bucks makes plenty of sense given where Milwaukee’s at presently. They seemingly aren’t a contender at No. 12 in the wide-open East, and there’s little hope for massive changes in the near future that could get them there.

With that, they look to the trade market to pair their NBA champion with a new team, and grab plenty of value in the process. In writing about the Bucks’ potential targets, Charania said the believed price point is a ‘blue-chip young talent’. And given the 2025 NBA Draft’s immediate success, it could mean any number of rookies.

Here are a few rookies the Bucks could look to target in potential deals:

Egor Demin, Nets

There’s been links between Antetokounmpo and the Nets dating back a few seasons, and if Brooklyn is wanting to avoid him landing elsewhere, they’d likely need to make a trade in the coming months.

They don’t have much to offer in the ways of win-now talent, but could send rookies from their 2025 draft haul, namely Egor Demin.

Drafted at No. 8 overall, Demin’s off to a great start given how much development seemed necessary for him to be successful. Instead, he’s averaging 10.4 points on blistering 40% 3-point shooting, taking over six triples a night. He was thought of to have genuine lead guard potential, though for now he seems best-suited as a play-making wing.

Demin wouldn’t be completely off the table if Brooklyn truly wanted a superstar, though they’d certainly rather hang onto him. In this scenario, the Bucks likely ask for at least one more rookie, be it Drake Powell, Nolan Traore, Danny Wolf or Ben Saraf. Obviously, in addition to other veteran players and a beaucoup of draft picks.

Kasparas Jakucionis, Heat

The Heat, as longtime potential buyers on the NBA’s trade market, seem to be the team popping up the most regarding an Antetokounmpo deal. And it makes sense given where they’re at, both asset and market-wise.

In addition to draft picks, and players like Tyler Herro and Kel’el Ware, Miami also has a unique rookie in Kasparas Jakucionis. He was the 2025 draft’s top slider, moving from a potential top-10 pick to No. 20 in reality, but still offers real upside as a guard-slash-wing.

Jakucionis hasn’t had ample opportunity to play for the Heat, scoring just 4.4 points across 15.0 minutes in a handful of games. But he’s already shown some real improvement in needed areas such as defense and shooting. The draw would be a high-feel guard or wing, able to score, make plays and offer a baseline of good defense.

Should the Bucks’ enter a new era, Jakucionis is exactly the type of project they should look to add.