The Heat and Celtics have dominated the rumor mill in regard to Giannis Antetokounmpo trades, but they aren’t the only horses in the race despite his apparent interest in the two franchises.
The trade saga has reportedly drawn interest from across the league and multiple teams remain interested in the former MVP.
Miami may be viewed as the frontrunner and Boston is lurking as a rival suitor. Though, the Bucks may need a third team to complete any deal. With seemingly everyone in the mix, recent history offers a reminder that the team that lands a disgruntled superstar isn’t always the one everyone expects.
Consider Paul George: When the Thunder traded for him in July 2017, sending Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis to Indiana. It was a nice return for Indiana (arguably much better than the Heat’s current package for Giannis). It was also treated as a one-year rental with prior to the trade, the narrative being that George would only be happy if he ended up in Los Angeles. George’s desire to join his hometown Lakers was one of the worst-kept secrets in the NBA, and he later admitted that without the trade, “I would have been in a Lakers uniform.”
Oklahoma City was a team that nobody had floated as a destination. The recruitment to get George to re-sign took a full year and began the day he arrived in OKC, with fans greeting him at the airport. Russell Westbrook organized outings, and the front office visited George in Los Angeles to sell him on leading the next era of Thunder basketball.
It worked. On the night free agency opened in 2018, Westbrook threw a “Summer Hype House Party,” and George took the stage to announce, “I’m here to stay.” He then signed a four-year, $137MM deal without taking a single meeting elsewhere. “I never felt like I was being recruited,” he said. “It all felt genuine.”
The Thunder would then trade George to Los Angeles, sending him to the Clippers in a deal that he approved of; one that returned Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a plate of draft picks that set up OKC for an NBA Championship.
That precedent looms over the Giannis chase. Milwaukee’s reported desire for a third-team facilitator means the framework is fluid, and the field is wide. If history is an indicator, the eventual winner could be a club currently operating in the shadows, as was how the Thunder once did. For now, Miami leads, but George’s saga proves the obvious frontrunner doesn’t always finish first.
