NBA Rumor: Insiders speculate Antetokounmpo s "big city" trading wish list

If the Bucks provide a trade offer for Giannis Antetokounmpo this summer, what teams will be on his wish list?

With the NBA playoffs going on, rumors about the offseason have begun to boil. Giannis Antetokounmpo's future with the Milwaukee Bucks remains the focus of league speculation.

After the Bucks' third straight first-round elimination and Damian Lillard's Achilles tendon tear, Antetokounmpo's trade seems more likely than ever. Howard Baker of The Ringer said the initial rumor was that the two-time MVP would target big market teams.

"Will Giannis propose on his own initiative? If he really proposes, does he have a list? I asked a few days ago and at first someone said that now he only considers big cities," Baker said on the Zach Lowe Show. "The team in Los Angeles, the team in New York, or the team in Miami are not big markets, but they are a charming mid-sized market. I think they counted Chicago as well. I don't remember whether Houston was taken into account. It should be."

Although most of the rumors about Antetokounmpo's trading intentions are just speculations, the market size is often a factor in the NBA star's wish list.

What big market teams may become interested in Giannis Antetokounmpo?

Among the teams in these cities Baker mentioned, the Houston Rockets and the Brooklyn Nets can provide Giannis Antetokounmpo with the most attractive trading options. The Rockets have attractive young players such as Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengon, Jaylen Green, Jabary Smith, Tari Ethan and Reed Shepard, as well as several high-value first-round picks from the Phoenix Suns. Meanwhile, the Nets have 10 tradeable first-round picks, as well as famous players such as Cam Thomas, Nick Clarkston and Cam Johnson.

In addition, Antetokounmpo's market prospects have become more confusing.

The Chicago Bulls could be a dark horse with five tradeable first-round picks and Kobe White, Josh Gidey and Mattas Boozelis all played an impressive season. The roster of the New York Knicks will be based on mature players as they only have one tradeable first-round pick. They may include multiple players including Carl Anthony Towns, OG Anunobi, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart. However, the Bucks will struggle to continue to expand their roster, as they currently have only one tradeable first-round pick and no cap space.

The Los Angeles Lakers have only one tradable first-round draft pick (2031), and there are no other high-end young players besides Austin Reeves. The Los Angeles Clippers have two tradeable first-round picks, but no high-level young rookies.

At the same time, the Miami Heat still needs to improve in terms of young players. Since Bam Adebayo is likely to be traded, they can use Taylor Sheero, Kyle Wel, Nikola Jovic and Jamie Jaquez as trade chips. However, they only have two tradeable first-round picks.

The Golden State Warriors will undoubtedly be interested in this. Despite their four tradeable first-round picks, they are still far from enough in terms of players, except for three core players, Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green. Brandin Podzimsky, Moses Moody and Quentin Post are the best young rookies on the team. Jonathan Cumingga was attractive but had difficulty entering the rotation at the end of the season.

Antetokounmpo has three years left in his contract, and it is not a foregone conclusion whether he can join the team he likes. The Bucks are a classic example, they recently acquired Lillard, whose first choice is the Heat.

If the Bucks are eager to maximize returns, several small market teams may also join the discussion. The Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs can easily form an attractive roster. However, it is hard to imagine that both teams would give up on big deals without guaranteeing Antetokounmpo would be happy to play for the Bucks.