NBANBAA devastating injury has boxed Milwaukee into an unenviable corner. As painful as it might be, the writing is on the wall. It’s time to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo this summer.
Getty Images/AP Images/Ringer illustration
By Michael PinaApril 28, 12:56 pm UTC • 5 min
First things first: This absolutely sucks. Damian Lillard, one of the greatest point guards in NBA history, an official top-75 all-time player, and maybe the most clutch shooter of his generation, reportedly tore his Achilles tendon during the first quarter of Sunday night’s Game 4 loss against the Indiana Pacers.
This is a true basketball tragedy and more likely than not will end Lillard’s ability to impact winning in any substantial way for the rest of his career, however long that may be. He turns 35 years old in July and had just made a miraculously quick return from a serious blood clot issue that was expected to end his season.
People will now second-guess Dame’s decision to return, and while we can’t cast blame on anyone at this stage for rushing him back, it’s worth wondering what risks were worth taking, since the best-case reward was maybe (but probably not) beating a superior Pacers team and then getting steamrolled in the second round by the mighty Cleveland Cavaliers.
To step into a physical playoff series after not playing basketball (or doing much physical activity, period) for an entire month is not easy. The repercussions of Dame’s return will force the Milwaukee Bucks to move forward without their second-highest-paid player on the court next season, not knowing whether or when he’ll ever look the same.
Lillard’s extended absence is far more impactful for Milwaukee than Sunday’s ugly 129-103 loss or their 3-1 record in the first round. It obliterated the Bucks’ already microscopic chance of winning the NBA title this season and made competing for one next year a downright unreasonable goal.
It’s hard to say that any team is in more dire straits. But because this is a business, the show must go on. If you’re the Bucks, that means taking a hard look at your situation and being honest about where you are and what options you have to salvage a true NBA catastrophe. Lillard’s contract takes up about 35 percent of Milwaukee’s cap in each of the next two seasons ($54.1 million next year, followed by a $58.5 million player option). If Lillard’s out for the foreseeable future, Bradley Beal can officially pass the “least team-friendly contract in the NBA” baton to Dame.
It’s already nearly impossible to build a championship-contending roster around two players on supermax contracts, let alone one who isn’t able to play. And there’s no reason to believe that the Bucks will be able to pull off a pivot. The franchise just traded Milwaukee hero Khris Middleton to the worst team in the league for Kyle Kuzma, arguably the worst rotation player of this postseason. Things get even more bleak when you look at the Bucks’ future draft situation.
Their first-round pick in this year’s draft belongs to the Brooklyn Nets. In 2026, the New Orleans Pelicans have swap rights. In 2027, their first goes to either New Orleans or Atlanta. In 2028, the Portland Trail Blazers or Washington Wizards have swap rights. In 2029, it goes to either Portland or Washington. In 2030, Portland has swap rights. In 2031, who knows whether any of us will even be here.
So, for those counting at home, the Bucks aren’t in a position to rebuild through the draft, have about 80 percent of their cap tied up in Giannis, Dame, and Kuzma through 2027, and don’t have any other assets of value to trade. Which brings us to the cold splash of reality no Bucks fan wants to hear. Even before Lillard even went down, the best move for this organization and Giannis Antetokounmpo was a divorce. The sooner the better.
Sometimes you have to let go of the ones you love the most, then watch them be happy from afar. It’s time to give Giannis an opportunity to win another championship elsewhere and for the Bucks to start over with an exceptional haul of draft picks and young talent. This era is over. An admirable run that included the franchise’s first championship in 50 years has come to an end.
Last week, I called this the last series Giannis would play in a Bucks jersey. Today, the ramifications of Lillard’s injury have made that claim undeniable. It’s fair to say that Bucks general manager Jon Horst, who recently (oddly?) signed a contract extension, will have a busy couple of months ahead of him. It’s a fork-in-the-road moment, and one option immediately leads to a brick wall.
If the Bucks don’t trade Giannis, there’s a chance they’ll still make the playoffs next year because it’s the Eastern Conference, but they would get pounded in the first round. That’s the best-case scenario for the short term. There is no best-case scenario for the long term, though. There’s no way back to the Finals. Keep Giannis, and you’re looking at a sad, ugly, irrelevant existence.
Trade Giannis, and there’s hope for a brighter tomorrow. Can you get any combination of Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, Tari Eason, Reed Sheppard, and a ton of picks from the Houston Rockets? Can you get Franz Wagner from the Orlando Magic? Can you get Devin Vassell, Stephon Castle, and all the picks from the San Antonio Spurs? Can you get (gulp) an unfathomably fruitful haul from the Oklahoma City Thunder? Is there any team that’d be willing to take Lillard’s contract along with Giannis? (Highly unlikely but technically possible.) There are 20 teams, at least, that will call and make their best offer. Antetokounmpo’s trade value, right now, is an escape hatch for Milwaukee from the years of misery staring them in the face.
It’s a shame that it might take this to push the Bucks in this direction, but it would be malpractice of the highest order if they don’t entertain common sense and instead opt to stiff-arm the most logical and inevitable effects of this injury. Right now the Bucks are a carcass, and the vultures that have spent the past few years swirling overhead are more than ready to dive in.
Michael Pina is a senior staff writer at The Ringer who covers the NBA.
