As soon as the news broke that Giannis Antetokounmpo had purged his social media of all Bucks related content, I knew it wouldn’t be long before trade rumors started ramping up around the Detroit Pistons again.
It’s a rumor we’ve discussed ad nauseam, but we knew it would rear its ugly head again as soon as the Bucks started sliding in the standings, which they have. Milwaukee is currently 9-13 and wouldn’t even make the play-in if the season ended today, even though Giannis is having another MVP-caliber season.
This has Pistons fans dreaming of pairing Giannis with Cade Cunningham, which is certainly appealing, as they’d be consolidating the two best players in the Eastern Conference on one team and could chase titles for at least one more season after this one.
It’s a tempting thought, but one that immediately becomes laughable when you see some of the fake trades Pistons fans are coming up with. Guys, we aren’t getting Giannis for a trade package headlined by Jaden Ivey and Caris LeVert, so you can stop with that nonsense.
Fans always think they can just pile up unwanted players, and if you just add enough of them, it will work! Giannis would be the biggest name to hit the trade market since prime Kevin Durant (I’m not counting Luka since there was no market) and every team in the league would be lined up with their offers.
For the Pistons to actually land Giannis, the cost would be astronomical, and one many fans would be reluctant to pay, even for a top five player.
What would it cost the Detroit Pistons to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo?
I don’t think the Pistons need to make a blockbuster trade, as they are on a similar path of growth and development as the OKC Thunder and already have an MVP candidate in Cade Cunningham, but when you are talking about Giannis, it would be malpractice not to at least find out.
The Bucks don’t want to trade the face of their franchise, an NBA champion who has been the best player they’ve had since Kareem. No matter what they get back, there is no way to get equal value for Giannis when you factor in marketing and merchandise in a small market. Remember Milwaukee before Giannis? Me either.
So, they aren’t going to do it unless the trade package is so good they can’t refuse, or Giannis simply refuses to play for them, the latter of which is never going to happen.
For the Pistons, it doesn’t start with Jaden Ivey, it starts with Ausar Thompson. In fact, since it would take 3-4 players to match salaries anyway, the Bucks will want all four of those to be core guys. It's the only way they can sell trading Giannis to their fans.
Ausar Thompson, Ron Holland, Jaden Ivey and Isaiah Stewart, along with four first-round picks and four swaps. That’s the cost the Bucks are going to ask for, so forget about turning Tobias Harris and Marcus Sasser into Giannis because it’s not going to happen.
The Pistons could maybe get away with only sending three of those guys, but we are still talking the bulk of the young core for one player who will be 31 years old this week. When has that EVER worked out? See Harden, James for an example.
If you could guarantee the Pistons win a title in the next two seasons (Giannis has a player option for the 3rd year and will opt out for more money) it might be worth it, but if not, it would be an unforgivable failure, as the Pistons would be giving up sustainable winning for that shot.
After next season, they’d either lose Giannis in free agency or have to pay a 32-year-old upwards of $75 million a year in an extension.
Again, ask teams how it has worked recently to build around multiple superstars on max deals. It makes it almost impossible (unless you are OKC) to have quality depth, which we saw with the Suns last season, who are better now after trading Kevin Durant.
It’s a fun idea, and I get the intrigue, but it’s an all-or-nothing move for the Pistons that it’s hard to see them making.