'No One Would Be in Better Position': Thunder Assets Could Bring Giannis Antetokounmpo to OKC

An anonymous Western Conference executive proclaims Oklahoma City to be a prime candidate to land Giannis Antetokounmpo if he wants to leave Milwaukee.

Sam Presti has been going brick by brick, piling up draft picks since the initial start to the rebuild in 2019 — where Paul George was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for a mound of picks.

He hasn’t made any mouth-dropping moves, though, even with the amount of assets the team holds. But that could possibly change over the course of the next two seasons.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, a two-time MVP and NBA champion, told the New York Times last Thursday, “I would not be the best version of myself if I don’t know that everybody’s on the same page, everybody’s going for a championship, everybody’s going to sacrifice time away from their family like I do," said the superstar. "And if I don’t feel that, I’m not signing it.”

Just five days later, an anonymous Western Conference executive told Sean Deveny of Heavy Sports that the Thunder are the frontrunners in the race for Antetokounmpo, if they choose to be.

“No one would be in better position to go after him than OKC. Not to say they would, but they’d have to be a starting point. They have the young talent, they have, I think it is nine (first-round) picks in the next three years. If Milwaukee decides, OK, we’ve got to move on here, that is the first team you call," the executive would go on to say. "There aren’t many guys who are going to make the Thunder think about a big move, packaging the assets. But Giannis is one, if he’d want to go there.”

Antetokounmpo’s contract ends following the 2024-25 season, so next year is immense in terms of his desire to stay in Milwaukee long-term. If he chooses to request a trade rather than sign an extension in 2024, Oklahoma City can offer more assets than virtually any team in the league.

But some might be worried if he wanted to even be in OKC, which could possibly hinder the Thunder’s future if they give up a large amount of assets for him — noting that he could up and leave the organization the following season if his lone year with the team fell flat.

However, it’s been clear that Antetokounmpo is a small market advocate, and OKC is a complementing franchise towards his outward goals and personability. It also doesn’t seem that he’s too concerned with landing at some high-profile team like the Los Angeles Lakers or New York Knicks, as it seems he’s solely seeking a championship-focused organization.

If the Thunder were to think of getting him, they must be willing to let go of some of their young talent. It’s a given that Milwaukee would look for one or even two of Josh Giddey, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams or Cason Wallace in a package alongside a slew of draft picks, so they would be making a sacrifice if it occurred.

But looking objectively, that’s not a horrible price to pay for a two-time MVP and generational talent. It would uproot the dynamic slightly, but the sheer impact Antetokounmpo would impose alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander would seemingly pin OKC at the top of the Western Conference, theoretically.

It’s not far-fetched. If Antetokounmpo wants out and Presti and the Thunder are comfortable with offering some of their young core combined with draft picks, then there’s a large chance it could happen.

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