NBA Trade Idea to Land Giannis Antetokounmpo with San Antonio Spurs
Sometimes, an NBA trade idea worms its way into your head and refuses to leave.
A hypothetical swap between the San Antonio Spurs and Milwaukee Bucks that pairs two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo with generational superstar Victor Wembanyama is exactly that kind of deal—one you almost feel obligated to speak into existence.
Bucks fans might not be on board, but the broader NBA-consuming public should be putting all its energy into manifesting what would be a league-altering exchange.
Is Giannis actually going to leave the Bucks? Early offseason reports made it seem like he might, but recent indicators (and the fact that he has yet to request a trade) are reducing those odds. No matter; we're thinking hypothetically here.
Let's lay out the offseason blockbuster everyone should be rooting for.
The Trade
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San Antonio Spurs Acquire: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Pat Connaughton
Milwaukee Bucks Acquire: Keldon Johnson, Harrison Barnes, Jeremy Sochan, Stephon Castle, No. 14 pick, 2027 first-round pick (via ATL), 2029 first-round pick, 2031 first-round pick (most favorable of SAS or SAC)
Why the Bucks Do It
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In the simplest terms, Milwaukee pulls the trigger on this deal because it acknowledges the reality of its situation. Damian Lillard is going to collect $54.1 million while not playing in 2025-26, the Bucks can only trade their 2031 or 2032 first-round pick and they're staring down a future that doesn't realistically include contention—even if they keep Giannis.
Castle and the No. 14 pick are the immediate headliners here, but three additional future firsts help sweeten the pot. Those combined assets give the Bucks hope for the future, albeit less then they'd have if they could somehow involve the New Orleans Pelicans in a three-team construction. The Pels control Milwaukee's 2026 and 2027 first-rounders; regaining those would make post-Giannis tanking worth it.
Speaking of alternate possibilities, the Bucks might prefer San Antonio's No. 2 pick in this year's draft. The Spurs could swap that in for Castle, remove Connaughton from the incoming package and call it good. In that scenario, Milwaukee could build around projected No. 2 selection Dylan Harper rather than Castle. Either way, the Spurs should be willing to oblige.
The filler here—Sochan, Barnes and Johnson—all have value. Sochan is a defensive dynamo who can play multiple positions and is still on his rookie-scale deal. Barnes is a heady veteran on an expiring contract who could be flipped for more value at the 2026 deadline. Johnson has two years and just $36 million left on his contract and showed the capacity to score at high volume over his six-year career, peaking at 22.0 points per game in 2022-23.
Why The Spurs Do It
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Um...because they get Giannis, a two-time MVP who's coming off his third straight season averaging at least 30.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists?
The better framing would be "Can the Spurs do it?" because any deal involving Antetokounmpo runs up against a couple of critical roadblocks. First, he'd have to actually request a trade from the Bucks. Even if moving him is the correct (albeit cold) decision in light of Milwaukee's bleak future, it's hard to imagine a deal getting done that isn't preceded by an official "get me out of here" request.
Second, the Spurs might also need Giannis to specify he'd like to play for them. Plenty of other teams could make comparable offers, so San Antonio's successful acquisition may depend on a repeat of De'Aaron Fox's gambit at the last trade deadline, when he publicly broadcast his desire to join the Spurs.
The fit between Giannis and Victor Wembanyama is beyond tantalizing. Wemby would have joined Antetokounmpo on the All-NBA first team if not for the deep vein thrombosis that shelved him after the All-Star break. The combined length and athleticism of those two on the front line would be impossible for most teams to handle.
It's important to note that Brook Lopez's rim-protection and floor-stretching shooting unlocked the best version of Antetokounmpo.
Wemby is already a better defensive force than Lopez ever was, which is saying something, and his potential as a shooter is off the charts. Giannis could go weeks at a time without seeing a center blocking his path to the rim.
Pairing these two could put the Spurs on the short list of contenders as soon as next year. And if Wembanyama takes another step forward, the Spurs could wind up with two of four best players in the entire league for at least the next handful of seasons.
Stats courtesy of NBA.com, Basketball Reference and Cleaning the Glass. Salary info via Spotrac.
Grant Hughes covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Bluesky and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, where he appears with Bleacher Report's Dan Favale.
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