The OKC Thunder may appear to be on the brink of becoming the game's next great dynasty, but a recently proposed Giannis Antetokounmpo trade scenario could throw an unforeseen monkey wrench into the mix.
During a May 2 episode of ESPN's Get Up, NBA insider Brian Windhorst addressed the situation out in Milwaukee following the Bucks' first-round, gentleman's sweep elimination against the Indiana Pacers.
Since their ouster, the hot-topic discussion circulating across league circles is the concept of the Greek Freak's future out in Wisconsin, with some suspecting that he may have officially played his last game with Milwaukee following their third-straight quarterfinal exit.
While such chatter is merely speculative at this point, Windhorst opted to drop his two cents into the situation, as he highlighted two teams, in particular, that he believes could realistically be in the running for Antetokounmpo's services this summer should he hit the trade market: The Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs.
"I know Houston is still playing, they may win tonight, but they have Phoenix's pick which is a whole other problem. They have a whole bunch of pieces on their roster. What if they hop up into that top-four? Look out there. The other one is the San Antonio Spurs. They have two picks in this lottery... All of a sudden you have San Antonio with Victor Wembanyama, De'Aaron Fox, and potentially a game-changing draft pick with the Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle sitting there as well. First we're going to watch the lottery. So is Giannis," Windhorst said.
2 OKC Thunder rivals tabbed as potential destinations in Giannis trade
Now, the link between Antetokounmpo and Houston should come as a shock to no one.
Dating back to last offseason, Houston was regularly reported to be interested in star hunting, and, seemingly as soon as Milwaukee was eliminated last week, they were being attached to Giannis trade scenarios.
Though the idea of the two-time MVP shipping out to Space City and joining their 52-win, second-seeded squad may be a tad alarming for the Thunder to think about, to ESPN's Alan Hahn, his addition to a Spurs core already consisting of rising superstar Victor Wembanyama and All-NBA guard De'Aaron Fox would be the most frightening.
"God help everybody in the Western Conference if that happens because that would be an insane front line," Hahn said during his guest appearance on the show.
As things currently stand, the Thunder are still viewed as not only the favorites to win the 2025 NBA Championship following their first-round sweep over the Memphis Grizzlies, but as the future "It" team of the association.
Considering they are led by the likes of All-Star Jalen Williams, rising stud big Chet Holmgren, and, of course, the likely MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander -- all of whom are 26 years of age or younger --, roster a slew of quality young role players, and have an obscene amount of future draft capital in their possession, such a statement isn't all that refutable.
However, even with this enviable and more-than-worthy status, in the West alone, there are a few up-and-coming clubs that already have some convinced that the battle for future conference crowns may not be as wide-open for OKC as previously believed, with the Spurs, in particular, being seen as a serious threat moving forward.
The idea of such a team adding Giannis Antetokounmpo into the fold would likely make the Thunder's dynasty path a whole lot more treacherous.