Former NBA Executive Says Nets Can Trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo

Former NBA executive John Hollinger believes that the Brooklyn Nets are a candidate to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo in a trade from Milwaukee Bucks.

Hollinger, a former vice president of basketball operations for the Memphis Grizzlies, writes in The Athletic that the Nets’ “combined cap relief and draft capital is a pretty rare package.” The Bucks are “done,” he adds, and “the only important thing to monitor now is whether they trade Antetokounmpo, and if so, when.”

The Nets have a treasure chest of draft assets, with 31 picks — 15 first-rounders, 16 second-rounders — over the next seven years. Brooklyn have first four firsts in the 2025 NBA Draft. The team is locked into the sixth-best lottery odds, although they could still pick higher depending on how the May 12 lottery plays out. Hollinger theorizes that the Nets could also dangle an unprotected pick swap (via the Phoenix Suns) in 2028 and three protected firsts courtesy of the New York Knicks.

“No other team can match the Nets and [Houston] Rockets on draft capital unless Oklahoma City decides to get in the game, and I’m skeptical the Thunder would pursue this once the price became clear,” he writes.

The Rockets, like the Nets, have valuable draft picks and the means to make the money add up. Plus, they have more intriguing young talent. Houston remain in the playoffs, down 3-2 to the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the Western Conference.

General manager Sean Marks recently commented on the Nets’ ongoing rebuild as part of his end-of-season media appearance. Brooklyn’s chief decision maker stressed that the organization would be “opportunistic” regarding its future.

“It’s just about being opportunistic as to how we build and when we go all-in again, so to speak, and there could be going all-in with [...] free agents or trades, but it also could be go[ing] all-in with systematically growing some homegrown talent,” Marks said.

CBS Sports recently ranked the Nets as the top possible landing spot for Antetokounmpo. The Greek superstar is set to meet with the Bucks “after the season to discuss both his future and the future plans for the team,” per ESPN.

Antetokounmpo is a nine-time all-star, one-time defensive player of the year, two-time MVP and one-time NBA champion — among other accolades. He averaged 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.2 blocks in 67 games this season. The Bucks drafted the 30-year-old with the 15th pick in the 2013 draft.