While the NBA offseason isn’t officially here yet, a major domino this summer continues to be Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future. The Bucks haven’t made it past the first round in three straight playoffs, and with dwindling assets, it doesn’t make much sense for Antetokounmpo to stick around in Milwaukee.
The Celtics have been floated around as a dark-horse candidate for Antetokounmpo, among a number of teams. Enter a new trade candidate: the Raptors. Per the Toronto Star’s Doug Smith, there is “mutual interest” between Antetokounmpo and the Raptors as a landing spot for the two-time MVP.
Antetokounmpo, 30, is still at the height of his powers. But the Bucks haven’t been able to get over the hump ever since winning the 2021 NBA title. They made a huge swing by trading for Damian Lillard, but the 34-year-old’s ruptured Achilles tendon injury changed the equation for the franchise and Antetokounmpo going forward.
The Raptors are indeed an interesting landing spot for the 2021 NBA Finals MVP. Toronto finished with a 30-52 record as they’re in the middle of a rebuild. However, as Smith noted, they have plenty of draft assets they could send to the Bucks in any trade. Plus, they have some tradable pieces that, if they were included in the deal, wouldn’t decimate the roster.
Of course, the Raptors have history trading for a superstar and it paying off in a huge way. When Kawhi Leonard was disgruntled in San Antonio, the Raptors went ahead and acquired for him. While Leonard was in Toronto for just one season, it resulted in winning the 2019 NBA championship, their lone title in franchise history. So while it was a major risk to trade for Leonard, it paid off in a way that will be immortalized.
Antetokounmpo would be a long-term fixture with the Raptors if they did trade for him. The Bucks star still has three years left on his contract, with a $62.8 million player option for the 2027-28 season. Antetokounmpo, as he showed this season, still can take over games, but it’s just about getting support from the rest of the roster.
Antetokounmpo will naturally be a major name on the trade market this summer if he is indeed available. Any team vying for the superstar will have to give up a lot. But perhaps the Raptors could make sense, plus they do have an international market located in Canada.
