LISTEN: Heat Eliminate Top-Seeded Bucks; Path to Mavs' Giannis Trade Pipe-Dream?
The NBA playoffs just got real, as Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat, who barely skidded into the postseason, eliminated the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in just five games on Wednesday. Miami closed things out on the road in a thrilling 128-126 overtime win, becoming just the sixth No. 8 seed in NBA history to upset a No. 1 seed.
Dallas Mavericks fans can sympathize with Bucks fans, as painful memories from Dallas’ first-round series loss to the “We Believe” Golden State Warriors in 2007 resurfaced while watching Milwaukee’s meltdown.
With the Bucks heading home much earlier than expected two years in a row after winning a title in 2021, many expect big changes in Milwaukee this summer. The most likely change would be the Bucks moving on from head coach Mike Budenholzer, but retooling their roster is certainly in the cards as well. And although it’s not likely that Giannis Antetokounmpo will want a change of scenery after being just two years removed from a title, that doesn’t mean the chances are zero percent.
On today’s episode of the Mavs Step Back Podcast, we recap all of Wednesday’s NBA playoff action, including Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks winning their first series in over a decade, as well as the Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies getting big Game 5 wins over the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers respectively.
And as for Antetokounmpo’s future in Milwaukee … it’s no secret that Dallas has had eyes for him for quite some time. The problem, though, is that every other team in the league would want Giannis if he requested a trade from the Bucks too. That tends to be the case when you’re talking about the most physically dominant player in the game. The competition for his services would be stiff, and the Mavs’ asset cupboard is bare.
In this episode, we dust off our old DallasBasketball.com Giannis-to-Dallas pipe-dream scenario, but this time, it’s via trade instead of free agency. If the Mavs have any shot at pulling off something of that magnitude, though, it will require a lot of lottery luck on May 16. In the meantime, maybe Mavs owner Mark Cuban is getting a head start when it comes to putting Dallas on Antetokounmpo’s mind.
It also doesn’t hurt that Luka Doncic is friendly with Antetokounmpo and Mavs coach Jason Kidd is credited as being a key part of his development in Milwaukee as well. If Antetokounmpo decides that his ceiling in Milwaukee has been capped, would the Bucks consider trading him if it meant getting No. 1 draft prospect Victor Wembanyama?
You can listen to the entire episode below. We finish things off by previewing Thursday’s playoff games and potential Game 7s we could see over the weekend.
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