Giannis Antetokounmpo Mock Trade: 2x MVP to Charlotte Hornets in Major Blockbuster

The Charlotte Hornets are highly unlikely to make any sort of major splash at the trade deadline. The current roster is on a seven-game winning streak, and all the metrics suggest that this is a really strong group of players.

That said, ESPN's Ramona Shelburne named the Hornets in the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes. That would be a move that totally changes the trajectory of this franchise. It still seems entirely implausible to me, but where there's smoke, there is often fire.

So how could the Hornets land Antetokounmpo? It starts with Miles Bridges. For one thing, the Milwaukee Bucks have already expressed interest in trading for him, and he'd be the biggest salary the Hornets could part with (since they won't move LaMelo Ball) in this deal.

Of course, Bridges' $25 million salary pales in comparison to Antetokounmpo's $54.1 million. Adding Collin Sexton's $19 million salary makes it work financially, but the Bucks will absolutely need tons of draft capital.

The Hornets can also make it work by sending Bridges, Tidjane Salaün, Tre Mann, and Mason Plumlee, but that puts them at 12 rostered players, which isn't ideal. Since the Bucks want a haul of young players or draft picks, the Hornets have to part with draft picks.

They can send the 2027 first-round pick from the Miami Heat, as well as their own picks in 2029 and 2031, and that could satisfy the Bucks. The Utah Jazz sent three similar first-round picks and a young player for Jaren Jackson Jr., but with Bridges, the Bucks get an established star.

Even then, Milwaukee may not budge. If the two talk, there's a good chance they will ask about Milwaukee native and Rookie of the Year candidate, Kon Knueppel.

This would swap Bridges and Antetokounmpo in the starting lineup, but it would also remove the backup point guard. As we know, the Hornets have a real problem there, even with Sexton. They would desperately need to make another deal for a guard since Tre Mann and Sion James are not remotely cutting it.

That's a story for another day, though, and while the Hornets' current lineup is dominating, what it could do with Antetokounmpo instead of Bridges, who by most accounts is the worst member of that starting five, is exciting to think about.

However, because the Hornets would have to deplete their reserves of draft picks and part with a player they seem to like (as well as a valuable expiring contract in Sexton), it just doesn't seem very likely that the Hornets would even attempt this.

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