From now until February 5, there will be plenty of speculation about where Giannis Antetokounmpo will go. He and the Milwaukee Bucks really feel like they're on the verge of a divorce. Could the Utah Jazz get in on this?
Sure, but ESPN's Bobby Marks explained why it would be a little tough for them to make a deal.
"The Jazz have nine tradable first-round picks and 2028 swap rights with the Cavaliers. Unless Lauri Markkanen is included, Utah would need to trade at least five players to match Antetokounmpo's salary. Fourteen players on the roster earn less than $19.5 million," Marks wrote.
The prospect of the Jazz getting Giannis has been discussed before. It's an exciting idea, but Marks clearly explains
First things first, the Jazz wouldn't trade Markkanen for Antetokounmpo because doing so would defeat the purpose of getting Antetokounmpo. You don't upgrade from Markkanen to Giannis in a trade like that. You pair them up, so trading Markkanen is out of the question.
Which is why Utah would have to gut a good chunk of its roster - Jusuf Nurkic, Kyle Anderson, Georges Niang, and Kevin Love would all have to go - just to make room for him. It complicates things. The Jazz would have to make sure they have replacements lined up, including converting their players on two-way contracts immediately.
The other problem with a Giannis-Jazz trade
Milwaukee won't be looking for just picks and cap flexibility in a trade. They'll want young, developing talent, meaning the Jazz would likely have to put Keyonte George and Ace Bailey on the table just to get the Bucks on the phone.
And to be fair, to be something great, you have to give up something you don't want to part with. As exciting as George and Bailey both are, the odds of them becoming Giannis-level good is extremely unlikely (Note: they don't have to be for Utah to become title contenders down the line).
However, that's not the risk. Antetokounmpo could hit free agency in 2027. Despite him becoming a little injury-prone over the last few years, he will probably out of his current deal for more long-term security because, well, he's Giannis and he's still in his prime.
Not only would that put an enormous amount of pressure on Utah to win right away (and currently, they're not really in a position to try), but an ex-Jazz reporter stressed his belief a few months back that Antetokounmpo probably wouldn't want to stay in Utah.
One could argue that he'd be worth the risk, but losing George and Bailey, two guys who could be franchise cornerstones for the Jazz for years to come, might not make it worth it. Of course, the Jazz would probably prefer not to have to face Giannis on a West rival, but in his early 30s, he only has so much time left as a superduperstar.
Utah's in great position to have a pretty long run, so there's no need to rush themselves into making themselves into a contender for potentially only a season and a half, even if it is the Greek Freak.