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A 4-Team NBA Trade Idea to Blow Up the 2025-26 NBA Season
Just because NBA training camps are underway doesn't mean the trade market can't still deliver some fireworks.
Just last year, the Karl-Anthony Towns trade wasn't finalized until early October. It's a reminder that landscape-altering blockbusters can happen even as the season approaches.
Recent comments have us going back to the Giannis Antetokounmpo well. "I hope [a trade] never happens," he said during an interview with Greece's Sport 24 (h/t Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints). "But I'm expecting it…I say anything is possible."
This doesn't sound like Giannis is on the verge of requesting a trade. It instead seems like he's bracing himself for the possibility that the Milwaukee Bucks stumble upon a deal so tempting they have no choice other than to pounce.
Does this four-team extravaganza meet the criteria? Let's find out.
Full Trade Details
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Atlanta Hawks Receive: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Charlotte Hornets Receive: Onyeka Okongwu
Milwaukee Bucks Receive: Jalen Johnson, Josh Green, 2026 first-round pick (most favorable of Milwaukee and New Orleans, via Atlanta), 2027 first-round pick (least favorable from Milwaukee and New Orleans, via Atlanta; top-four protection), 2028 first-round pick (its own, via Portland), Atlanta's 2029 first-round pick, Atlanta's 2030 first-round pick (swap)
Portland Trail Blazers Receive: 2027 first-round pick (second-most favorable of Charlotte, Dallas and Miami, via Charlotte), Atlanta's 2028 first-round pick (swap), 2029 first-round pick (least favorable from Cleveland, Minnesota and Utah, via Charlotte)
Why the Atlanta Hawks Do It
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In: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Out: Jalen Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu, 2026 first-round pick (most favorable of Milwaukee and New Orleans), 2027 first-round pick (least favorable from Milwaukee and New Orleans; top-four protection), 2028 first-round pick (swap), 2029 first-round pick, 2030 first-round swap (top-five protection)
The Atlanta Hawks do this because...they get Giannis.
A core six featuring him, Trae Young, Kristaps Porziņģis, Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher and Nickeil Alexander-Walker is an auto-contender. The two-way punch is absurd. Some lineups could be a little light on shooting, but the Hawks set Giannis up for success by having a floor-spacing rim protector like KP beside him.
Atlanta's big man rotation gets dicey after flipping Johnson and Okongwu. That's the cost of keeping Risacher out of the deal. So, too, is the inclusion of five first-round picks (three outright, two swaps).
Getting Giannis is worth the logistical bumps thereafter. And it's not like the Hawks' frontcourt is barren. Mo Gueye is a real NBA player, and they might be able to get contributions from N'Faly Dante and Asa Newell. Failing that, they have enough room under the first apron to sign a big or could try to extract Duop Reath from Portland.
Atlanta should be wary of potential luxury-tax implications—although the team may be able to navigate around them in future moves. And again: You're getting Giannis.
Why the Charlotte Hornets Do It
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In: Onyeka Okongwu
Out: Josh Green, 2027 first-round pick (second-most favorable of Charlotte, Dallas and Miami), 2029 first-round pick (least favorable from Cleveland, Minnesota and Utah)
Squads not yet out of their rebuilding phase offload multiple first-rounders, but the Hornets need a big man of the future. At only 24, with a team-friendly three years and $48 million left on his contract, Okongwu is an ideal candidate to fill that void.
Despite lacking traditional center size, he compensates with defensive versatility—capable of protecting the rim and guarding opponents on the perimeter. His offensive package spans everything from lob-catching and runners to short-roll playmaking and even some three-point touch.
Pairing Okongwu with LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Kon Knueppel could unlock a dynamic, two-way lineup for Charlotte.
Charlotte shouldn't flinch at the pick equity. It has three first-rounders in 2027 and isn't giving up the best one. That 2029 selection has limited upside. And as a bonus, the Hornets get to wipe the two years remaining on Green's contract from their ledger.
Why the Milwaukee Bucks Do It
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In: Jalen Johnson, Josh Green, 2026 first-round pick (most favorable of Milwaukee and New Orleans, via Atlanta), 2027 first-round pick (least favorable from Milwaukee and New Orleans, via Atlanta; top-four protection), 2028 first-round pick (its own, via Portland), Atlanta's 2029 first-round pick, Atlanta's 2030 first-round pick (swap)
Out: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Any deal that prompts the Bucks to consider trading Giannis without him requesting they do so must include some of their own first-rounders.
This package gives them back control over their 2026 and 2028 picks, with the possibility of recapturing their 2027 selection as well. Even if that 2027 first isn't their own, the New Orleans Pelicans aren't doing anything to suggest they'll be good in the near future.
Johnson gives Milwaukee someone with legitimate All-Star potential, who can slide into Giannis' spot at the 4. He doesn't turn 24 until December and is under team control at a flat $30 million per year for the next half-decade.
Better still, the Bucks are netting control of two more first-rounders on top of the previous three. Though the Hawks' future picks don't project to have a ton of value, the 2029 selection and 2030 swap convey after what would be Giannis' age-34 and -35 seasons, respectively.
Parting with a franchise icon who remains a generational talent is hard. But if the Bucks think a breakup is inevitable, this is enough for them to consider pre-empting the unavoidable.
Why the Portland Trail Blazers Do It
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In: 2027 first-round pick (second-most favorable of Charlotte, Dallas and Miami, via Charlotte), Atlanta's 2028 first-round pick (swap), 2029 first-round pick (least favorable from Cleveland, Minnesota and Utah, via Charlotte)
Out: Milwaukee's 2028 first-round pick (swap)
Punting on the right to swap picks with the Bucks in 2028 when they're shipping out Giannis Antetokounmpo carries its fair share of risk. But the Blazers are being compensated well enough to stomach it.
Portland ends up getting control over three first-rounders to part with its one Milwaukee swap. And two of those three are outright firsts.
The Hawks' 2028 swap is timed perfectly to replace the outgoing Bucks one. It doesn't technically have the same upside, but it post-dates Giannis' current contract—nothing if not food for thought.
Dan Favale is a National NBA Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Bluesky (@danfavale), and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes.
