How Blazers Can Leverage Giannis Trade to Land Jaylen Brown

The Portland Trail Blazers are set to play a key role in where Giannis Antetokounmpo ultimately ends up as trade rumors rise for the Greek Freak.

Milwaukee Bucks power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo warms up before the game against the Portland Trail Blazers. | Soobum Im-Imagn Images

The Portland Trail Blazers may not be Giannis Antetokounmpo's next destination, but the franchise still has skin in the game when it comes to his trade rumors.

NBA insider Marc Stein lays out the role the Blazers should play in a potential Antetokounmpo trade if the Milwaukee Bucks opt to move on from their franchise cornerstone.

"Chatter persists that Antetokounmpo, in any case, is determined to stay in the Eastern Conference after 13 seasons as a Buck," Stein wrote.

"The Bucks, meanwhile, are known to want to include Portland in an eventual multi-team Giannis trade structure if possible in hopes of somehow reacquiring some measure of the draft capital they surrendered to the Trail Blazers in the Damian Lillard trade just before the 2023-24 season."

Blazers Could Send Bucks Picks Back to Milwaukee

Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson is fouled during the second half by Milwaukee Bucks guard Gary Trent Jr. | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

As soon as the Bucks trade Giannis Antetokounmpo, those picks that the Blazers have from the Lillard trade grow tremendously in value. The Blazers are going to want to hold on to those picks for a possible star of their own.

The Blazers could simply make it a two-team trade and send those picks and salary cap filler for Antetokounmpo. The Greek Freak only has one full year of team control left on his contract, so an extension would be needed if Portland were to trade for him. Antetokounmpo seems unlikely to sign a long-term deal with the Blazers, as he prefers to stay on the East Coast, which is closer to where his family lives in Greece.

If Antetokounmpo is not going to Portland, the Blazers could act as a third team in a potential blockbuster deal, possibly with a squad like the Boston Celtics, who have been rumored to potentially want to part ways with Jaylen Brown.

The Blazers would be open to taking on Brown because it helps them get closer to contending in the Western Conference. He would become their top scorer and give Portland a true identity.

Here is what a potential three-team trade with the Celtics and Bucks could look like involving Antetokounmpo and Brown:

In this hypothetical deal, the Blazers gain a lot more clarity in terms of their hierarchy by sending away young guards in Henderson and Sharpe, allowing the Bucks to get their rebuild started. They also send Grant to the Bucks to match salaries and give three future draft assets that were acquired in the Lillard deal. The Celtics throw in a first-round pick of their own from this year's draft to gain Antetokounmpo.

For the Blazers, this deal makes sense as it creates a starting lineup featuring Lillard, Deni Avdija, Brown, Toumani Camara, and Donovan Clingan. That starting lineup rivals some of the best in the Western Conference. They would also have Jrue Holiday coming off the bench as the team's sixth man.

Clingan's rim protection along with Camara and Brown on the perimeter for their defense can help erase some of Lillard and Avdija's defensive challenges.

A big three with Avdija, Brown and Lillard could give them a fighting chance against the top teams in the Western Conference, which is all the Blazers could want at this stage in their franchise's growth. It gives them a chance to zero in on their focus as a team without breaking the bank and giving away much of their future.