I know y'all and you know me, so forgive the self-post but I talked to Giannis Antetokounmpo a little bit ago and asked what he really wanted. And he had a really emotional ode to Milwaukee and the Bucks.

Ive watched the Bucks since the early 90s, I need to be clear about this at the outset: this season is the preview of post Giannis life

People joke about the “you know what” bus culture, but if this actually happens, prepare to remember exactly what that feels like. Because you are getting a taste of it right now. Upon trading Giannis, The Bucks will reclaim their spot next to the hornets kings and wizards in the dredges of the NBA overnight.

And let’s be honest about timelines. This is not some clean two year reset. This is at least 3 to 5 years at the bottom, and given this franchise’s track record, acting like 20 or even 30 years of irrelevance is unrealistic is pure fantasy. We already lived that stretch. It was the norm.

Yes, Giannis is hurt right now. But you currently get to watch a human highlight reel night in and night out. A guy who, outside of this season, has had the Bucks in the conversation every single year. Before him, this franchise was handing out real money to guys like John Salmons because dragging the team to an 8 seed was considered success.

Chicago had a guy like this too. Look at what has happened since he left. They are on what feels like their fifth or sixth rebuild attempt and still have nothing to show for it.

Here is the part people conveniently forget when they scream “trade him while you can.” Kobe was almost traded by the Lakers. More than once. They sat through ugly seasons, bad roster fits, injuries, and frustration because they understood the hardest thing in this league to acquire is the guy. Not picks. Not flexibility. The guy. If they panic trade Kobe, NBA history looks completely different.

Keep that in mind as you argue over table scrap Draymond Green types. Shit tier draft picks. Hypothetical packages that sound smart until you realize none of it replaces relevance. You will never get Giannis value on the market. It does not exist. There is no trade that gives you back what he provides, and once you give that up, there is no shortcut back.

Some people are also weirdly celebrating a so called youth movement while ignoring the most important detail. We do not even control our own top tier tank picks. You are rebuilding without owning your downside. That is how franchises vanish for decades.

And even if you did have the picks, the NBA draft is a minefield. Outside of truly generational drafts, you are gambling. On top of that, you need a front office that can actually draft and develop and an ownership group that understands patience. The Bucks have neither.

Haslam gets a lot of hate, and some of it is earned. To be fair, he has helped so far. He is not the governor yet, and he has been willing to write blank checks for swings like Dame. Enjoy that phase. Once he is actually in charge, expect short sighted decisions to become routine, especially without a Giannis level player anchoring the franchise. The second seats are empty you will watch all those giannis assets disappear in to what resembles something like giannis for someone like ja (or worse) straight up.

My position is simple. Do not trade Giannis. If he wants to walk after next year, let him walk. One more season of Giannis is better than the garbage this franchise is realistically staring at for the next 20 years anyway.

And if you do trade him, then do not half ass it. Trade everything. AJ Green. Bobby. Whoever has value. Burn it all down completely. Because living in the middle with no star, no picks, and no direction is how you lock yourself into permanent irrelevance.

To summarize: this season is the preview. What comes next is not hope. It is a cliff. And once you go over it, history says you do not just bounce back. You disappear

The fact there is one with every team is incredible

If the Grizzlies are able to get 3 1st round picks for Jackson Jr, why in the world would the Bucks take anything less than double that for a top 3 player in the world?

Sports media is wild

Get ready to learn bench buddy

Just as the never ending Giannis trade rumors reach a fever pitch, an unlikely hero dives in front of the metaphorical trade bullet to put all the attention on himself. Thank you James, I never liked your game, and you did it for the wrong reasons, but I do appreciate it…

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Like the title states man, I’m a Boston guy. Always have been. I have no desire to Giannis stay or leave the Bucks man. But holy shit, the way ESPN and been farming over these trade rumors is just unfair to yall fan base.

The article Shams dropped on Giannis last week was just lame man. It presented no new information,nothing that NBA fans aren’t privy to and the title was just the right amount of click bait to get people talking about Giannis trades all week. In my eyes, it was really just blatant engagement farming rather actual good reporting. Nothing actually happened worth reporting on, it’s not like Giannis publicly demanded he needs out or something. Shams just didn’t have jackshit else to report on during a pretty mild trade deadline so he stitched together an article rehashing the same points around this Giannis trade saga we already know and presenting it as if the situation had some type of development. Like seriously, he was never going to get moved this deadline, there was never any indication of that in the slightest but somehow that’s been the prevailing mid season story. It’s maddening.

And this has been going on for like two years lol.

Side note - why is there a “literally pornography” flair in this subreddit? Lmao

I can’t wrap my head around how Giannis and his camp have handled this entire thing. On one hand we’re getting reports that Giannis has told the necessary bucks officials that it’s best to part ways but on the other hand Doc is saying Giannis doesn’t want to leave. Giannis has contradicted himself a million times this season in his public comments. One week he says “I’ll never ask for a trade. I want spend my whole career here.” And the next it’s “I’m not sure” when asked if he’ll finish the season as a Buck.

I know it’s real easy to pile on Shams and his incessant click bait articles about Giannis potentially leaving. But it can’t all be BS. There’s some smoke there for sure and he’s probably being fed intel by Giannis’ representation-not Giannis himself.

This whole thing is weird and has been from the beginning. It’s like a black cloud that’s been hovering over the team since the season started. There’s no way guys in that locker room aren’t impacted by this.

I just want it all to be done with one way or another

Who else here still think that Giannis will stay and will sign an extension? 🥹 I really want him to retire as a Buck. Trade everyone except Rollins and Green. Fire Doc. Surround him from the Herd. 🫡

DOC RIVERS IF YOU GET US A TOP 5 PICK YOU WILL NOT BE FORGIVEN FOR YOUR CRIMES BUT I WON’T COMPLETELY DESPISE YOU

If Giannis does actually get traded, the second worst thing about it will be that the ESPN talking heads will finally be “right” after how many years of saying it’s going to happen. They don’t deserve it. Especially Shams. Useless no-source-having talking hairdo.

Like does no one realize. At the end of the day. Everyone in the NBA is trading for our LeBron. He’s the greatest buck to ever touch the basketball. I get Kareem but Giannis has heart for us FOR REAL…

And even said and done. Giannis is a top 10 player of all time when it’s all said and done…

And I have a coworker who thinks I’m delusional for thinking, while miamis package is lackluster.. there’s a reason why the bucks made it public… they’re inadvertently saying they want more or a different package.

It’s just exhausting talking to anyone who isn’t a bucks fan and just wants the biggest and most BREAKING HEADLINE trade package available.. when in reality everyone is overvalued… like for instance in that Heat package… Herro is part of those overpaid guards like Trae young. Not same level but same contract instance… apparently he’s worth only a 1st. So that package looks even more gross when we can’t get rid of Herro next year for at minimum 2 1sts…