A blockbuster trade proposal has the Milwaukee Bucks shaking up the NBA landscape by swapping out Giannis Antetokounmpo for can’t-miss rookie Cooper Flagg in a three-team deal.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has been the subject of trade speculation since the Bucks were eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the playoffs. With All-Star guard Damian Lillard set to miss most (if not all) of 2025-26 recovering from a torn Achilles, many wonder if the two-time MVP will request a trade and pursue championships elsewhere.
Since winning the NBA championship in 2021, the Bucks have won just a single playoff series (2022) and have been sent home in round one in each of the last three years. The Lillard trade and multiple coaching changes haven’t reversed their fortunes, and one can’t blame Giannis if he simply decides it’s time to move on.
Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale proposed a “godfather” trade idea that has Milwaukee sending Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Dallas Mavericks in a three-team deal involving the New Orleans Pelicans.
In Favale’s trade pitch, Dallas would get the future Hall of Famer. Milwaukee would get the No. 1 pick of 2025 (aka Cooper Flagg), 2026 and 2027 first-round picks, Max Christie, Daniel Gifford, Caleb Martin, Jordan Hawkins and Kelly Olynyk. New Orleans would receive Klay Thompson, Dereck Lively II and a 2031 first-round pick:
“Yes, the cost is high. But Cooper Flagg is, for now, a theory. Giannis is the real deal—no worse than a top-five NBA player who, at 30, provides you with a championship-contention lifeline for the next three or more years…
Gafford is a useful big the Bucks can flip for more draft compensation, or who they can use to fill minutes should Brook Lopez leave in free agency. Christie is on a cheapo deal, only 22 years old, defends his butt off and might have more to offer offensively when placed on the ball. Hawkins is 23, has two years left on his rookie scale and arms Milwaukee’s offense with an uninhibited shot-taker…and sometimes shot-maker.
Mostly, though, this is all about the Bucks getting Flagg, their next two draft picks and the flexibility to properly rebuild in the face of what’s probably an inevitable Giannis exit.”
The Mavericks shocked the sports world when they traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in a deal that brought Anthony Davis to Dallas. If they could somehow add Giannis Antetokounmpo, Dallas would re-emerge as a title contender with a “Big three” of him, Davis and Kyrie Irving.
For now, we continue to await a decision on his end: Milwaukee or elsewhere? Stay tuned.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Had Another MVP-Caliber Season In 2025-26
The Bucks were a giant disappointment in 2024-25, but it doesn’t take away Giannis’ excellent individual performance. He averaged 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game, and those numbers could have been higher if he hadn’t missed 15 contests.
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