The Bucks are off to a slow start this season and NBA executives are quietly hoping that the 2022 champs will crash and burn, because it may mean that Giannis Antetokounmpo will be up for grabs.
Teams are circling and hopeful, one Western Conference team executive told CBS Sports.
A top executive of a team that could be in the mix for the Greek Freak said,I wouldnt be surprised if it happened by the trade deadline.
An Eastern Conference executive has been listening to the whispers and says Giannis preferred destinations would be the Nets and the Heat.
The Thunder is a team that is also possibility, given the amount of draft capital the franchise would be able to provide the Bucks with.
I havent heard them mentioned, but yeah, if youre Milwaukee you might just go, I dont give a f what you want. If you want out, were getting the best deal we can. And Oklahoma City could definitely offer a good one, the Eastern Conference executive said.
Another drama that may cause Giannis to exit stage left is how much pull Doc Rivers is gaining at the franchise, so much so that hes already won over the owner enough that hes now the key voice in basketball decisions, CBS says.
They tell me its up to Doc now, that theyre going to wait 20 games and then see what Doc wants, said one person familiar with the Bucks front-office inner-workings. It sounds like its a mess.
Antetokounmpo himself has even helped fuel the rumors. A couple of weeks back he alluded to being traded if this year goes belly up.
If we dont win this year, would you get fired? the Bucks star asked a staffer, via The Athletic. Do you have it in the back of your mind, like, (What) if this year doesnt go well? Yeah, if we dont win a championship, I might get traded. Yeah, this is the job we live. This is the world were living in. Its everybody.
READ MORE: NBA Viewership on Worrying Decline After One Week: Report
