NBA Exec Says Wemby, Spurs Would Be NBA Title Favorites If They Trade for Giannis
One NBA executive believes the San Antonio Spurs would be NBA title favorites if they trade for Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“If the Spurs paired Giannis and Wemby, they would be the favorite to win the title next year,” an Eastern Conference executive told The Athletic's Sam Vecenie. “They’d have two guys who might be top-five players in the league next year on the same team. Plus, they fit. They’d have a dominant defense that no one would be able to score against inside, and they’d have the ability to play five-out in an even more devastating way than the Bucks did with Brook Lopez if they surrounded Giannis and Wemby with the right wings."
ESPN's Shams Charania reported on Monday that Antetokounmpo is open to exploring long-term fits outside of Milwaukee.
Naturally, that has to open NBA teams' eyes. The two-time NBA MVP is still squarely in his prime after averaging 30.4 points on 60.1 percent shooting, 11.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.2 blocks per game.
Antetokounmpo has finished top four in the NBA MVP voting each of the last six years, and one can guess he'll likely finish third in that race this year behind Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić.
There's been plenty of speculation surrounding Giannis and the Spurs.
Before the draft lottery, Zack Buckley of Bleacher Report threw out a trade idea of reigning Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle, Jeremy Sochan, Keldon Johnson and four first-round picks for Antetokounmpo.
But now the Spurs hold the No. 2 pick in the draft, and that almost assuredly means a chance to land Rutgers guard Dylan Harper, widely seen as this year's second-best prospect behind Duke forward Cooper Flagg. That's a huge chip in the Spurs' favor in any potential trade talks, as Harper is a potential franchise star that Milwaukee (or any team) could build around.
For now, Antetokounmpo remains a Buck, and the Spurs are reportedly leaning toward keeping the No. 2 pick. But there's enough buzz to wonder if talks could pick up at some point in the coming weeks.
