Report: Nets Could be in Giannis Antetokounmpo's Preferred Trade Destinations

The Brooklyn Nets could be in the mix if Giannis Antetokounmpo decides to force a trade.

Oct 28, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) reacts during the second half against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images / Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

The Brooklyn Nets just entered a rebuild. They traded Mikal Bridges and have begun a new era. Rebuilds are long and tedious, but pay off in the long run.

The Nets will begin to accumulate draft assets and young players to gear toward the future. Acquiring a superstar player could change plans, though, and one NBA MVP and champion might have the club on his desired list of trade destinations.

Rumors regarding Giannis Antetokounmpo are beginning to swirl as the Milwaukee Bucks are beginning to struggle with Doc Rivers as their head coach. According to CBS Sports' Bill Reiter, there is growing belief that the Bucks superstar could force his way out of Milwaukee in the near future.

"There's a rising sense of confidence that if things go badly in Milwaukee that Giannis could be available for trade, would really force his way out of Milwaukee, in the next year," Reiter reported.

"There's a rising sense of confidence that if things go badly in Milwaukee that Giannis could be available for trade, would really force his way out of Milwaukee, in the next year."@sportsreiter pic.twitter.com/9V4MovUmSw

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) October 31, 2024

Reiter reported that multiple executives have provided their two cents on the matter. One claimed that the trade could happen by the trade deadline. Another stated that teams are beginning to circle the situation.

"Teams are circling -- and hopeful," one Western Conference team executive said.

Any time a superstar requests a trade, they give the team a preferred list of destinations. Of course, the club doesn't have to grant those wishes, but they often do. According to another executive in the league, Antetokounmpo could have an interesting set of preferred teams.

"The teams I've heard are Miami and New York -- the Nets, not the Knicks," an Eastern Conference executive claimed.

The Big Apple has an appeal of its own, and the Nets certainly play in a desirable market. However, the state of their franchise at the moment makes the report questionable. A superstar asking to be traded to a rebuilding franchise is certainly an interesting move.

The Heat are trying to squeeze out the last bit of their championship window with Jimmy Butler at the helm. A move there would make more sense for Antetokounmpo, though Brooklyn could certainly offer the desired draft capital to Milwaukee to help jump-start a rebuild for the Bucks.

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