Jon Horst should pull the plug and trade Giannis Antetokoumpo. I understand he wants to build a winning culture around Giannis but how will Giannis feel 2 summers from now when he will be a free-agent. Milwaukee will be sure to offer him a super-max contract which could be in the range of $240-250 million dollars, but does Giannis want money or does he want to win?
In my opinion not bringing back Malcolm Brogdon and refusing to match Indiana’s offer sheet was a major fail, Brogdon was arguably the Bucks’ best player behind Giannis and provided floor-spacing,defense, and play-making. He is a combo guard who the Indiana Pacers gladly stole and will reap the benefits over the next 4 years from.
Sure the Bucks signed sharp shooters Wesley Matthews and Kyle Korver and Sterling Brown will be sure to get more minutes now with Brogdon out of the picture but I don’t see how it is enough. The Bucks lack a play-maker now, I love Eric Bledsoe athleticism and ability to attack the basket at will but he is not a shooter and not someone I want creating his offense due to his inability to be shoot jumpers off the dribble. I would trade Giannis and get as much as possible while I still can, Anthony Davis told the Pelicans straight up he was not signing the extension and they had no choice but to move him. The ship sank the moment DeMarcus Cousins opted to take a $5 million dollar deal for 1 year with the Golden State Warriors, at least they saved themselves from giving him the 2 year $40 million dollar contract they offered him throughout the season.
Back to Giannis Antetokoumpo, if he wants to win now he needs to speak up and ask for a trade and give the Bucks his preferred destinations. I don’t see how he wins a title with this current team and if I could get my hands on D’Angelo Russell and Draymmond Green with a few picks I would take that in a heart beat. Draymmond is a defensive anchor by himself and arguably the best leader in the game, few players can get in Kevin Durant’s face and question the way he plays the game. Draymmond Green would also compete in the Eastern Conference and have an opportunity to prove to all the haters that he’s just not some journey man who has benefited from playing with 3 of the greatest 3 point shooters the NBA has ever seen in Durant,Klay, and Curry. DJ Wilson,Luke Maye, and Dragan Bender could all audition for the power forward position.
So the Bucks would be looking at a possible starting 5 of Bledsoe-Russell-Middleton-Green-Lopez. That lineup could be a top 3 seed in the Eastern Conference, Bledsoe,Middleton, and Green are all above average defenders and can all shoot at a respectable percentage from 3-point range, throw in Russell and Lopez who are 3 point snipers and it makes for a intriguing lineup for the Milwaukee Bucks. As for the Golden State Warriors they will put themselves in the conversation for the title once again, the Warriors is where Giannis belongs. I’ve never seen him as a go to scorer and I don’t think he ever will be, he can let Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry free up the floor for him with their off-ball movement while he can terrorize teams on the offensive end because the lanes will be open and Klay and Curry always keep 2-3 defenders in motion leaving no times for resting on defense.
To conclude Bob Myers and Joe Lacob have been known to make jaw dropping decisions, they signed Kevin Durant and dominated the NBA through a 3-year span like I’ve never seen before. It was terrifying to see Kevin Durant,Klay Thompson, and Stephen Curry strike fear into teams due to their ability to cover 20 points in a matter of 5-6 minutes if needed and maybe they won’t be as scary with Giannis but they would certainly have a different dimension to them. I’m all for it, Giannis selected Curry as his first pick for the all-star game not too long ago and that I think should ring some bells. They want to play together the same way Harden and Westbrook did and Kyrie and KD. It would be a fascinating story for this coming NBA season, approaching February the Giannis to the Warriors rumors will be unbearable.
D-NBA 