Since Wednesday's report that the Milwaukee Bucks were holding conversations with Giannis Antetokounmpo about his future, all anyone can seemingly talk about is where the two-time MVP could end up if he requests a trade. To no one's surprise, considering their ridiculous amount of assets, the OKC Thunder have been a team buzzed about as a potential destination
Of course, being that they're already the top seed in the entire league at 21-1, on pace to re-set the NBA record for wins in a single season, and are the favorites to win the 2026 NBA Finals as currently constructed, the chances of Oklahoma City pursuing the all-world superstar should be seen as slim to none.
With that being said, a trade sending Giannis out of Milwaukee still could wind up having a direct impact on this ball club in one way or another. In fact, a move to the San Antonio Spurs could theoretically put OKC's dynastic aspirations in serious jeopardy.
Giannis trade to Spurs could be a major concern for OKC Thunder
Outside of the Thunder, there's an argument to be made that the Spurs have the greatest war chest of trade assets at their disposal. Unlike the reigning champions, however, they might need to actually use them in order to get to the mountain top themselves.
Because of this, San Antonio is viewed as one of the favorites to acquire Giannis' services if he were to be placed on the block, and for good reason.
The 30-year-old is an already-proven NBA Champion who finds himself dropping sensational averages of 28.9 points, 10.1 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and just shy of two stocks on 63.9 percent shooting from the floor and a career-best 43.5 percent shooting from deep now in his 13 season in the association.
The Spurs, meanwhile, are one of the Western Conference's up-and-coming teams who, with All-Stars Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox in the fold, reside in the fourth seed at 15-6 and have their sights set on ultimate glory.
Of course, as things currently stand, they, along with essentially the rest of the entire NBA, seem to be facing a mightily steep uphill battle in any pursuit of a title, what with the historically dominant Thunder being locked in for the long haul.
Creating a dynamic duo of both Wembanyama and Giannis, however, could be a way of plateauing the route forward for the Spurs.
On top of their three-level scoring abilities, with innate and otherworldly versatile skills coupled with the fact that both stand at 7-feet and up, this pairing would automatically create the most ferocious frontcourt defense the game has to offer and, in a way, could be a great counter to Oklahoma City's attack-the-paint offensive approach.
Add on the fact that Giannis is still in his prime and the 21-year-old Wemby has yet to enter into his, and this hypothetical trade scenario would make the Spurs an automatic top threat to Oklahoma City's championship repeat goals at best and, at worst, make Oklahoma City becoming the league's next great dynasty a much more difficult task than it currently projects to be.