New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Proposal Sends Giannis to OKC, Hawks Upgrade Spacing With Proven Shooter

The most important storyline in the NBA to follow this summer is the future of Milwaukee Bucks superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. The team that acquires him is likely going to be an instant contender and favored to at least make a run to the conference finals. The MVP contender was eliminated from the playoffs in a five-game series against the Indiana Pacers during the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Despite his best efforts, the Bucks weren't able to threaten Indiana for most of the series. Giannis averaged 33.8 points, 14.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists during the first round and had a 30 point, 20 rebound and 13 assist triple-double in the series finale.

Milwaukee lacked the roster depth to hold up against one of the NBA's deepest rosters and struggled to match the athleticism and pace that Indiana brings. All-Star point guard Damian Lillard is out for a significant portion of next season with a left Achilles tear. The Bucks won't have control of their first round picks until 2031 and their roster is extremely old. By the time they are in a position to add series talent through the draft, Giannis is going to be 35 years old. All signs seem to indicate a breakup is on the way.

One of the teams that should be very interested in Giannis is the OKC Thunder. While they currently are waiting for the second round of the playoffs to begin after destroying the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs, it's possible that they are eliminated in the Western Conference Finals or the NBA Finals. If that happens, they would be interested in re-tooling their roster and adding a superstar talent to raise their ceiling.

Even if the Hawks aren't in the strongest position to land the superstar forward, they can still use the situation to their advantage. Being the third team in a Giannis trade would allow them to land capable defenders or shooters that can survive on defense. Those are currently weak areas on Atlanta's roster that need to be upgraded in the offseason.

If OKC pushed to trade for Giannis, what would the package look like? Here's a possible framework that includes the Hawks as a third team:

It should be noted that this is just a speculative and fun exercise to see what kind of moves can be made, not what I think the Hawks should do or will do. That is all.

Atlanta Hawks recieve: Isaiah Joe, 2025 2nd round pick (via OKC, from ATL), 2029 2nd round pick (via OKC, from MIA)

OKC Thunder receive: Giannis Antetoukounmpo, Kobe Bufkin, 2025 1st round pick (via ATL, from LAL)

Milwaukee Bucks receive: Isaiah Hartenstein, Aaron Wiggins, 2025 1st round pick (via OKC, from LAC), 2026 1st round pick (via OKC), 2026 1st round pick (via OKC, from UTA, top-8 protected), 2028 1st round pick (via OKC, from DAL). 2029 1st round pick (via OKC, top-8 protected), 2031 1st round pick swap (MIL has swap rights)

Why the Hawks would do this trade: Joe has shot north of 40% from deep for three consecutive seasons and he takes 4+ of them per game. At 6'5, he isn't undersized as a shooter either and he can hold his own on the perimeter. He rarely turns the ball over (6.3 TOV% this season, 96th percentile) and shot a blistering 57% on corner threes this season. Joe isn't just a floor spacer - he takes difficult shots from deep and regularly makes them. Giving up a first-round pick hurts, but it's outside of the lottery and most of the prospects selected in that range are hardly sure things. Joe fills a massive need for the Hawks and he'd be well-worth sacrificing a late first for.

Why the Hawks would not do this trade: The Hawks still aren't in the buisness of giving away firsts because they owe picks to San Antonio and it's possible that Joe's defense could get exposed at the higher levels of the postseason. Furthermore, Joe's numbers are helped by the fact that he plays in such an incrediblly spaced lineup. A lot more attention is going to be on him in Atlanta.

Why the Thunder would do this trade: Shai and Giannis. That's about as formidable of a star duo that you can get - both are legiitmative MVP contenders and capable of carrying an offense on their own. Together, there just isn't a team that would have a consistent answer for them in the pick-and-roll or matches up well with a Giannis - Chet Holmgren frontcourt. They'd be a title favorite for the next four seasons and probably guarantee themselves two rings in the process. Incredibly, they'd still be relatively young and have acces to a decent amount of first-rounders.

Why the Thunder would not do this trade: Honestly, I don't really see any downsides. This is an insane amount of draft picks to give up and it may hurt the team's chemistry if Shai and Giannis don't coalesce, but there isn't a credible basketball reason to not pursue this. Giannis and Shai both operate in the midrange, so there is some overlap in shot diet there. However, Shai is also shooting 37.5% from deep on almost six attempts a game. He's hardly a non-shooter and I doubt their spacing would get too clogged up.

Why the Bucks would do this trade: Six first-rounders and a viable starter at PF/C in Isaiah Hartenstein to slide into Giannis's spot in the lineup isn't too bad of a return for arguably the franchise's best player. They can start adding talent immediately and they will also be able to take advantage of a nice season from Aaron Wiggins (12 points and 3.9 rebounds per game on 48.8/38.3/83.1 shooting splits) to either give him a bigger role or flip him for additional assets in the future. They don't get a clear franchise player with this move, but they get an injection of picks to give them more chances at getting one.

Why the Bucks would not do this trade: They still don't have a clear path towards a franchise player because none of those picks are expected to be big-time lottery picks. Furthermore, barring a big leap, Hartenstein and Wiggins aren't individually good enough to build around as even second options on a team that can make noise in the postseason.

Additional Links

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