NBA Mock Trade: Milwaukee Bucks Deal Giannis Antetokounmpo to Detroit Pistons

Things appear to be in a holding pattern on the trade front for Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.

On August 4, ESPN's Shams Charania reported the Bucks small forward is continuing to weigh his options and evaluate his future.

With that in mind, numerous pundits have renamed the likely suitors for Antetokounmpo this summer. In theory, though, any team could be a potential destination.

There isn't an organization in the league that wouldn't love to land the nine-time All-Star on the trade market this offseason.

That includes a Milwaukee division rival such as the Detroit Pistons.

Let's explore the possibility of the Bucks sending Antetokounmpo to the Pistons in a trade this summer.

Milwaukee Bucks-Detroit Pistons Mock Trade

Milwaukee Bucks receive power forward Tobias Harris, shooting guard Jaden Ivey, center Jalen Duren and four first-round picks.

Detroit Pistons receive small forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.

For this trade, I followed a similar hypothetical proposal from Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey in June.

"Typically, the superstar trade path includes a list of teams he'd agree to play for long-term, and the Detroit Pistons may not be on that for Giannis, but it wouldn't hurt to still be among the offerors," wrote Bailey.

"Detroit can surrender a ready-made rebuild core with Jaden Ivey, Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren. It could flip Tobias Harris in a subsequent trade. And of course, the Pistons can offer a good haul of draft picks, too.

"If Milwaukee moves Giannis, it should be for a deal that fires up a new era. And this one would do exactly that."

Why This Trade Makes Sense for the Bucks

Milwaukee could land a core of young players or a boat load of draft picks in return for Antetokounmpo. In the perfect world, they would get both.

Three starters along with several first-round selections seems like a lot for Detroit to send to Milwaukee for Antetokounmpo. But if a team doesn't give up another borderline star for the Bucks forward, then that's probably a realistic asking price for Milwaukee.

Plus, Detroit might have to pay a premium to convince the Bucks to trade Antetokounmpo within the division.

With the Pistons' package, Milwaukee could jump start its future rebuild.

Why This Trade Makes Sense for the Pistons

Detroit won 30 more games in 2024-25 than it did the previous season. While the Pistons would lose three of their starters from that squad in this deal, gaining Antetokounmpo would make them more significant contenders.

The Pistons would also still have point guard Cade Cunningham, who led the team with 26.1 points and 9.1 assists per game last season. Cunningham also had 6.1 rebounds.

The rest of the team's starting lineup would need reshuffled, but Antetokounmpo-Cunningham is a terrific duo to build around in the coming years.

Fantasy Basketball Implications

Antetokounmpo is going to be a fantasy basketball star no matter where he goes. With Cunningham, he might have to share the ball a little more than he did in Milwaukee, but Antetokounmpo's efficiency could see an uptick.

It's also much more likely Cunningham sees a small decline in shot volume than Antetokounmpo. But then again, with three other new starters, Antetokounmpo and Cunningham would be the clear-cut best offensive options for Detroit.

In Milwaukee, Harris, Ivey, and Duren could all retain roughly the same fantasy value. Ivey led those three with 17.6 points per game while Duren averaged a double-double -- 11.8 points and 10.3 rebounds per contest.

Harris had 13.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game last season.