Amid the latest resurgence in Giannis Antetokounmpo trade buzz, Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix has revealed that, despite their clear edge over all teams in hypothetical negotiations, this OKC Thunder front office "has no interest" in pursuing the superstar.
Regardless of this report, it clearly hasn't stopped people from thinking up trade packages that they believe could send the two-time MVP from Milwaukee out the the Sooner State.
Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey is the latest sports writer to take a crack at such an exercise, as he recently proposed the following blockbuster as a deal he believes the Thunder would make if the deadline were already approaching.
Thunder receive: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Bucks receive: Isaiah Hartenstein, Luguentz Dort, a 2026 first-round pick (via Houston), a 2028 first-round pick (via Dallas), a 2030 first-round pick, a 2032 first-round pick, and eight second-round picks
While it's fair to say that this very well could be the best possible package Milwaukee could receive in a Giannis trade discussion, as hardly any teams in the association can come remotely close to what Oklahoma City has to offer from their elite asset collection, unbeknownst to Bailey, this proposal inadvertently proves why the Thunder likely aren't actually interested in pursuing his services.
Thunder don't want to sacrifice depth, financial flexibility for Giannis
While the idea of formulating a core of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, and Giannis may be exciting on the surface, this proposal is wildly unnecessary and potentially crippling from a long-term financial standpoint.
Sure, at face value, swapping out the likes of two beloved, albeit at the end of the day, role players for the sure-fire Hall of Famer still in the prime of his career is a virtual steal. However, their departures, along with the 12 total picks heading outbound, would drastically reel back on OKC's future flexibility.
While they may have committed north of $800 million to the Big Three of SGA, J-Dub, and Chet this offseason, the biggest reason why no one's all that concerned about this thrusting them over the dreaded second apron like the Celtics currently are is, in large part, due to the multiple player options and influx of picks they have coming their way over the coming years.
Once the extensions for these aforementioned players kick in, GM Sam Presti will have the ability to rid the team of several contracts thanks to club options (particularly Hartenstein and his $28.5 million salary in 2026-27), and replace these spots on the roster with cost-efficient, rookie-scale deals thanks to their obscene draft capital.
How this team's asset collection is set up, this strategy could be used to fill the rotation around their core trio for many years to come.
Of course, if this proposed exchange were to be pulled off, a large chunk of these luxuries would be offloaded, and the Thunder would then bring Giannis' three-year, $175.4 million max deal to their already ascending payroll instead.
His addition, though entertaining from a star power narrative, would make ducking under the second apron all the more challenging.
Again, Antetokounmpo joining this title-defending core would certainly be fun, as it would create one of the most ferocious units the game has ever seen, but considering they're already on the brink of a dynasty as is, coupled with the fact that even Bailey acknowledged that "there may not be a team in NBA history that needed a trade less than the 2025-26 Oklahoma City Thunder," outside of entertainment purposes, it's hard to see the reason behind why Presti and company would be remotely interested.